Fr Mark Schultz

Dear Friend,

In our reading from the Prophet Isaiah this morning, we see the beginnings of the Syro-Ephraimite war. Much of the first part of Isaiah is concerned with this particular war and its aftermath which saw the Northern Kingdom of Israel (also called Ephraim) allying with Syria (Aram) to attack the Southern Kingdom of Judah (including Jerusalem) in an attempt to induce Judah (via regime change) to join an alliance against the encroaching threat of Assyria. Eventually, and much against Isaiah’s prophetic insistence to trust in God and not make any hasty alliances or panicked political moves, Judah will seek assistance from Assyria in dealing with the conflict, and Assyria will completely obliterate Israel, saddling Judah with significant tribute debt that would lead to a series of conflicts between Judah and Assyria that would eventually end when the Babylonians destroyed them both.

All of which is to say, in one way or another…relationships, particularly family relationships, can be really hard. And especially in this season, when our fuses can be short on account of any number of stressors that the Holidays often seem to exacerbate, we can make hasty, unhealthy decisions with our stress and find ourselves quickly at the throats of our loved ones, surprised at the ferocity of our feelings.

And it’s difficult in the midst of the shopping and the singing and the working and the shopping and the holiday parties and the celebrating and the cleaning and the preparing and the everything the season demands of us…it’s difficult but oh-so-needful to see how low our candle is burning, how short our fuse is becoming…

…and take a moment…take a few moments…to settle ourselves…to slow the rushing pace of our minds…to…oh Mercy…to breathe…yes…to breathe…to be silent…to breathe…to be completely silent…to breathe…to listen…to let go of fear…to maybe…oh but that might be too much…breathe… to maybe…to…well maybe we could try it…to breathe…to yes…to maybe…oh to give thanks…to give thanks…to return…to give thanks…to relax…to give thanks…to settle into God’s loving embrace…to yes…oh right…it’s still there...it’s definitely…breathe…it’s still there…to relax into that embrace…oh that embrace…at the Center…and to give thanks…to breathe…to pray…to give thanks…to pray…oh my Breath…to breathe…oh my Life…to breathe…my Longing…to breathe…my Lord…to breathe…my Love…to breathe…oh Love…and breathe…oh thank you…oh Breath…at last…and breathe…and breathe…and breathe…at last…again…

Under the Mercy,
Fr Mark+