Fr Robert Hendrickson

Dear Friends in Christ,

“On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek him, and his place of rest will be glorious.”

That’s the verse from Isaiah that came to me today during Mass as I looked out our window toward the hills.

I know lots of folks are longing for some kind of rest now. Everyone I talk to seems exhausted or just holding on. Spirits are frayed. Relationships are tense. Parenting is fraught. Caring for ailing parents is heartbreaking. Every hope around the corner seems a mirage. Breaking news is never good. Good news doesn’t seem to be breaking.

Yet there it is. Planted like a tree. Standing between the harsh light and the flood. Between the desert’s sparseness and the river’s promise. There it is.

The rest we seek won’t be found here. It will be found there. By the side of the river of life. At the very edge, where water is mixed with life, will true rest be known. It may seem distant but that may only be because it is so close we can scarcely see it.

As the world turns, the Cross is fixed. As our days, hours, and minutes spin by, there is a rest calling. It’s not calling for us to do anything but know that it has been done. It’s not calling for any achievement other than to see it achieved. It will not recognize any award other than stillness. It will not grow to anything more, strive for anything less, nor offer anything other than glory amidst the breeze.

Yours in Christ,

Fr Robert