On Eagle's Wings

Picture of my fiancé's tattoo

Oh man, to have to get up this morning and drag myself to work.  Fortunately, I am working the late shift...unfortunately, I am working the late shift.  Unfortunately, I also had to hear my fiancé tell me about an amazing breakfast he indulged in courtesy of his work....villains!

Yesterday called to mind the moments I loved about growing up in the Catholic faith.  We may have our quarrels now but there are some things of which I will never lose sight.  One of them being the hymns that I have sang, played (violin, bells, piano, etc), listened and loved over the span of my life.  One of my all time favorite hymns is one that is titled the same at this posting.  This hymn also came to mind based on the tattoo my fiancé just got a little over a week ago, with one of the verses this hymn is loosely based on inscribed into his arm.  He knows it is a favorite of mine.

This hymn is based loosely on Psalm 91, from a collection of protection psalms, as well as, you guessed it, Isaiah 40:31.  The first verse of this hymn is:

You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord

Who abide in His shadow for Light,

Say to the Lord, "My refuge,

My rock, in whom I trust!"

 

Refrain:

And He will raise you up on eagle's wings

Bear you on the breath of dawn,

Make you to shine like the sun

And hold you in the palm of His hand.

 



To think that these words signify the protection that God has over you has always been inspiring to me.  I think I also love this verse because my grandmother loved it as well.  I remember this hymn as being one that I heard the introduction music and starting smiling from ear to ear.  Do you have any music that has that effect on you?  It doesn't have to be religious in nature, perhaps it is secular.

I know when my fiancé and I were just dating, it seemed as though every time I would walk him to his car to leave my family's home, Hunter Hayes, "Wanted" would come on.  We would get really quiet and tears would well up in our eyes as we said farewell until the next weekend.  And so our relationship went, from weekend to weekend, not a weekday passed without numerous texts or at least one lengthy phone call.  I remember the first time I went to Virginia to meet my fiancé.  On Saturday, we were driving around, just finishing lunch, and a Raschal Flatts song came on.  He began to cry quietly, until I realized and asked what was wrong.  "I am already dreading the fact you have to leave tomorrow."

Those are the songs that touch us.  I know I find it difficult to sing in church because it brings up so many emotions and conflicts within myself.  It makes me reflect on my life and how askew it has been and how hard I am trying to remain on the path, my path.  I still find comfort in the last stanza of the hymn, On Eagle's Wings:

For to His angels He's given a command
To guard you in all of your ways;
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

 

A reminder that no matter what faults I encounter or what I may do wrong, God is looking out for me and my well-being.  What more can anyone ask for?  I know, furthermore, that my fiancé, family and friends do the same every single day.  God puts people into our lives for a reason.  We may not see the reason now but someday, it will be very clear to us all.

Winds for Change Shifting?

The white smoke came billowing out from the Sistine Chapel yesterday, approximately 7 pm in Rome.  It was a joyful occasion for all Catholics around the world as a leader had been elected, a new pope.  As you may remember, Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world by stepping down from the papacy.  He caused further conflict when it came forward that he would remain in the Vatican City, not too far from where the shadow of the new pope would fall.  And be dubbed Pope Emeritus.  Emeritus is defined as, "Having retired but maintaining a title of honor."  He vowed he would not interfere with the decisions of the church, allowing the new pope to lead the people of the Catholic church in peace.

The new pope, now known as Pope Francis, shook the world himself, becoming the first pope from the Americas.  He was a cardinal in Argentina and is known for living in poverty and a humble life, denying the right to live in the palace maintained for a man of his status and electing to live in an apartment instead.  He waves aside the chauffeur for taking a bus.  He is a Jesuit priest, an old order.  He, too, is not without conflict, especially given his ties and potential involvement with the dictatorship that ruled Argentina in the late-1970s, early-1980s.  But what man goes without scrutiny?  I read that around that time, he watched as women who had children out of wedlock wondered from Catholic church to church, begging the child be baptized.  He would witness church after church turn them away.  The former cardinal Bergoglio compared this to that of the Pharisees, of how it became exclusive, not inclusive.

I hope this is a sign of change to come on the wings of the new pope.  I can express first hand that there is a sense of exclusivity when it comes to the Catholic church.  My fiancé and I experienced it first hand.  Further more, as a woman within the Catholic church, I experienced the duration of my life.  The meaning of the word, "Catholic" is "universal."  In our confession of faith, we say, "We believe in one, holy, Catholic and apostolic church."  A church of unity, of followers, of believers. 

The Greek word most commonly associated with the English word church is, "ecclesia."  This means "the called-out."  Any member of a church would be considered called-out to its purpose.  So how can a church turn people away when its confession of faith mentions unity and the root of the word church means the called-out?

I don't know if there is an over-bearing fear of protecting the way things were or if it is fear that the morals of the church would be lost in any sense of modernization.  But I wish things would change.  I hope for a day when I can walk into a church with my future husband and smile at the priest, no judgement clouding his eyes.  To partake in the sacrament of Eucharist without the whispers so many wayward Catholics hear at Easter and Christmas.  For now, all we as a world can do is pray.  Pray for the unity of the Catholic church.  Pray for Pope Francis, that he may guide the church in a good direction.  Pray for religions everywhere to begin working together to heal our broken world. 

And always pray for each other.  Sometimes we lost sight of those we need to pray for the most: ourselves.  So it is with a hopeful heart and a light smile that I wish you enjoy today and everyday, in a thing called "La Vie."