I Can See Clearly Now

We sometimes forget that God can reach out to us in many different ways. I recently found myself in a situation where I didn't have a lot of control and the circumstances were painful to me in my job. The problem has existed for a while, but has been exacerbated by the pandemic. The details and the source of my pain and sadness should not be the focus here, so I will abbreviate that. If you are anything like me, any kind of pain or sadness can be all consuming. And, when I am feeling like that, it is really difficult to climb out of that dark place on my own. In the past, I could stay there for a long time.

So, over the weekend, I invited God to help to resolve the issue for me. I have never resolved them, nor has anyone else I ever asked. So, at long last, I decided God might be better at resolving this than my boss or co-worker, and yes, even me. I set up an appointment with my spiritual director and hoped to talk with her soon as well. She always helped me to center myself and adjust my perspective.

On Monday morning, I was getting the dogs all situated with breakfast before I headed out to work. I was not really wanting to go to work. I put on the radio and the song that was playing was, "I Can See Clearly Now The Rain Has Gone" performed by Johnny Nash. I listened carefully to the lyrics as I hadn't really heard the song since high school and college. I stopped and listened to the words before finishing my final chores before leaving for work. The lyrics in this song spoke loudly to me. I told God that was exactly how I would like to feel about things at work... now help me to get there. The song and the lyrics are below in case you are not familiar with the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FscIgtDJFXg

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Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now

I Can See Clearly Now\" is a Billboard Hot 100 Chart #1 hit song, written and recorded by Johnny Nash. It was a single from the album of the same name and achieved success in the United States and the United Kingdom when it was released in 1972. It was covered by many artists throughout the years, including a 1993 hit version by Jimmy Cliff ...

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (Bright), bright (Bright)
Sun-shiny day
It's gonna be a bright (Bright), bright (Bright)
Sun-shiny day

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for
It's gonna be a bright (Bright), bright (Bright)
Sun-shiny day

Look all around, there's nothin' but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin' but blue skies

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (Bright), bright (Bright)
Sun-shiny day
It's gonna be a bright (Bright) bright (Bright)
Sun-shiny day

It's gonna be a bright (Bright) bright (Bright)
Sun-shiny day
It's gonna be a bright (Bright) bright (Bright)
Sun-shiny day

So, I listened and then got into my car with great apprehension as I headed for work. When I turned on my car radio which was on a totally different station from the radio in my house, again, I heard the same song again, from the beginning. Some might say that was pure coincidence, but this was no coincidence. "Yes, God, I hear you... I want to be that way, too, but I don't know how. That is why I asked you for help." So, I went to work and felt as dismal as I had been feeling half the morning, wanting desperately to put this behind me somehow. Then, I had an appointment with my spiritual director. We talked about the situation and she pointed out the elements of my job that appeared to give me joy and that I should focus on those aspects and let go of the others which caused so much distress and unhappiness. By afternoon, I had figured out, with God's help how I might be able to better protect myself from some of those painful situations that would arise and that I can better focus my work and begin by listening more closely to what God would want me to do. 

So, God came through for me. Certainly not in a way I could have anticipated, but by using a familiar song from my teen years. A song I had not really pondered much in the days when I would sing along. I would have thought God would send a more religious song to help me. But once again God has taught me that He knows what is best for me and knows exactly how to get through to me. The challenge for me is that I need to ask God for help. And, when I do ask,  I need to listen. I also need to know sometimes God will surprise me, not with how amazing how He is, but how he might choose to speak to me, even using a song from the 1970's. 

So, that night before I went to sleep, I listened to that song several times, and I felt exactly what the song was talking about. I felt peace and calm like I haven't in a long time. The rain was gone and I could see all obstacles in the way.

Martha Corkery

A Lenten Meditation on The Lord's Prayer

Our Father Who are in heaven  

Yes, You are ours as we are Your adopted children, Your sons and daughters through faith and through our kinship with your incarnate Son and through Your loving touch of creation and your ongoing grace with your Holy Spirit who reigns in heaven with your princely beautiful Son.  You are in heaven, the place of perfection, Sans Souci,  the place You call us to and have nidified especially for us.  You reserve for us many mansions to be relished on the Day You have made for us…so we rejoice.  You are in Heaven.  You are in us. We are Your mansions.  We  co-create Your reality as one human family, a heavenly host.  We are Your heavenly Church militant, Church repentant, Church triumphant.  We are in heaven as well, as You are in us in the ecstatic embrace of us as your spouse, enthralled with the wholeness of You. 

Hallowed be You name

   For You are Holy, and You call us to the same holiness, for everything You created is holy and of You who are panenthesized in every molecule of creation.  Your name is in every name, and thus Your whole creation is hallowed.  We are hallowed in you.  We are Your hallowed people, the people You saved, the people You drew back to yourself.  We are hallowed because You are our  inscape, our essence, our participation in Your being, and we call Your being one, Holy, catholic, apostolic.  We know Your name in our faith.  We live your name in our hope.  We become your name in our love.  For You are Love, and holy is Your love.  

Your Kingdom come

   Everything is Your Kingdom, created for us to share with you.  Your Church on earth is the gift of your Kingdom as family: God Trinty, Jesus Trinity, Holy Spirit Trinity.  We are children and heirs of your Trinity Family.  You feed us with Your grace, teach us Your holy wisdom, cloth us in the raiment of Your love, house us in the mansions of Your fullness, co-create with us in the unfolding of Your great work.  We are Your royal heirs.  We but have to embrace the everything that you lovingly extend to us. That we may be one as You are One.  That all things be all in You.

Your will be done on earth as it is  heaven

     Not just Your will but You actually Yourself… whom Your will is that all creation recovers its memory of being truly Yours and Yours alone.  Restore us to the heavenly world You envisioned for your whole beautiful creation and help us honor it, as we anagnoristically become one again in You through your over-flowing of grace.  You “know” us from the beginning of time.  You “will” us to return to you.  We are your beloved prodigals.  We know our heavenly home is where we belong.   We long for, pray for, and strive for apokatastasis, restoration to our true home and the ecstatic joy of Your embrace.

Give us this day our daily  Bread

    Give us Your Bread of Life who is the Way, the Truth and the Life in You which You so anxiously and abundantly give to us.  Help us to see this reality daily, every minute, every moment we breathe; for you are the Great Aha!  But for You, Father, there would be no day.  But for Your Son, there would be no Bread, no Bread of Angels, no sustenance at all.  You are the Supreme Giver.  You are the source, origin, and cause of all that is; and what is, flows to us through You.  You are Supreme Generosity.  Without You, no day, no being, no nothing.  Why is there something instead of nothing?   Because You are YOU! 

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us

       You fore-give before we take our first breath.  You fore-give our every thought, feeling, action. Everything we do You have given us as your gift of total Freedom and Responsibility.   We get as we give; and we give from the fullness of your bounty.  We are saved when we save.   It is like alternating current.  There is no light of salvation unless there is current flow.   Our sinful lives are circuits of impedance and resistance.  Our acceptance of grace is the switch we throw to open the flow of the current of God’s grace.   We are NOT forgiven unless we throw the switch, the conversion of  “off’ to “on.”  We carry current when we say “yes” to forgiveness.  We say “yes” when we forgive. 

And lead us not into temptation

     You are our total reality.  Nothing You created is evil.  In our fallenness, we succumb to evil in our lack of faith and lovingness.  Lead us through the tense valley of opposites.  Give us the vision to see You through the tenebrous tension of good and evil and follow You in unity, truth, goodness and in splendiferous  beauty.   You beautifully knitted us in our mother’s womb, made us one like Yourself.  Help us be true to Your grand design. 

But deliver us from the evil one.

         We cannot flourish on our own.  We absolutely need Your grace, Your Spirit, your saving Son Who has delivered us, set us free by His death and resurrection and Who continues to deliver us, even in our unbelief.  He renews us in His Eucharist, our buckler and shield against everything that is not You.  Like a roaring lion, the evil one prowls about seeking to devour us, but You rise as the towering pillar of fire to light our way and draw us to the warmth of Your love.  Your love is the stuff of being.   Lack of Your love is nothingness.   Please deliver us from nothingness.   We are, because you reach down, scoop us up and coddle us in Your loving embrace and breath Your life into us and preserve us. 

For Your is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

       Not just Your kingdom, but ours as well.  You share everything that is You with all your creation.   Your love penetrates all reality, sustains us and permeates us to flourish according to Your plan which powerfully evolves into ever greater holiness, wholeness and perfection.  Your glory is our glory.   You have made us gods by giving Your Godly son to us as our brother.  He renews us through his Eucharist.  He remains in us as Your burning love.   He grows His eternal peace within us.  He  absorbs us into communion with Your Holy Spirit to be with us and remain with us forever in ineffable glory.

Forever and Ever.   Amen

   Not just now.  Not for a minute.  But for……ever!    The quintessence of ever!   He turns our time into a miraculous Kaipos moment, a God moment which fills all eternity.  We’ll shine longer than any star.  We’ll have glory greater than any universe, be-ing with our Creator Who has no beginning, no end.   He is sharing that gift with us!  He makes our light shine ever more brightly as we spiral to ever greater eternal perfection.  Life may have been our struggle to “get things right,” but “forever” is our time of never-endingly becoming more God!

— Phil Zepeda

Gifts...