Kelsi Vanada

Dear Friends,

Today’s Gospel in Luke 22 tells the story of the preparations for the Last Supper.

Jesus tells Peter and John that when they enter the city, they’ll find a man carrying a jar of water, and they’re to follow him to his house and tell him that the Teacher asks for his upstairs guest room. On the face of it, this seems rather miraculous—the owner of the house is immediately moved to share it. (Similar to the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem and sending the disciples to find a colt, telling its owners, “The Lord needs it.”)

Of course, there’s also a “reasonable” explanation—that there has simply been some prior arrangement that neither Peter nor John, nor I as the listener, was aware of.

I don’t think miracles or answered prayers necessarily change the laws of physics, but rather they seem to be about a change in our willingness to see God moving.

Last spring, Fr Robert and parishioner Rosalva Parada led a Mosaic session on incense. The following Sunday, when I was serving as an Acolyte, incense was used at the altar. With the idea in my mind of incense as our prayers rising to God with a pleasing aroma, I said a quick silent prayer: “Holy Spirit, be present with us at your table.”

A moment later, kneeling at the altar, I saw it: A shimmering light playing on the fair linen. I knew it to be the Holy Spirit in our midst. My first thought was delight—and amazement that my prayer had been answered so visibly and immediately. My second thought was to realize that the light through the window was being refracted through the heat from the altar candles.

There was a straightforward way to explain what I saw. And I also believe that it was the Spirit among us. I am not always so open—my prayer is that we may all be receptive to God wherever God shows Godself to us, “reasonable” or not.

Peace,

—Kelsi