Life filled with ‘in betweens’
It started as a simple Sunday afternoon drive for Jack and Jill – windows down, music up, not a care in the world as they drove on the high mountain road that connected their home town with the town that his brother and wife lived in on the other side of the mountain. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm – a welcome break from the cold, rainy days of late spring. Jack saw the “Scenic Overlook” sign that he had passed so many times. Today, since they had time, he said to Jill, “let’s stop and take a look at the beauty of creation.” As he pulled in, the car’s brakes failed. The car inched too far and came to rest on the edge of the steep embarkment. They were in between life and death. Jill started praying the Rosary, Jack held his breath and prayed an Act of Contrition. Really afraid to breathe, he hoped that a big truck might come along. Seeing their predicament, the truck driver would attach a chain and pull them back to safety.
Life is full of “In betweens”! As young adults and even now as elders, many of us are between poverty and prosperity, between good health and severe physical handicaps due to cancer, stroke, or some other incapacitating diseases. Many of us find ourselves between life in this world and life in the next. On Ascension Thursday afternoon, I found myself in an “in between.” I suffered vertical- and inner ear disorder with dizziness. The room was spinning like a top. I didn’t know whether I was coming or going. I closed my eyes to calm the dizziness and wanted to die, but I knew that it would pass in a matter of hours. Meanwhile, I was nauseous and afraid to move out of the chair.” How long would this last?” I asked myself.
We celebrate time between the ascension of the Lord Jesus into heaven and Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus. In the Acts of the Apostles, Steven was in between death and the new life with God in heaven. Filled with grace and power, he was working great wonders and signs among the people. Some know-it-alls debated Stephen but could not withstand his wisdom. Claiming that Steven was speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God, these jealous persons took Steven to the authorities because of this preaching and was found guilty of blasphemy. Steven’s punishment was death by being stoned. When preaching, he was between life and death. Found guilty, he was between death and the new life with Jesus in heaven. As he was dying, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God and knew that he soon would be with them.
When you pray in total and complete silence, learning to turn off the noise of life, you will also – with the help of the Holy Spirit- experienced Jesus. What you will experience is the same peace and joy Jesus has with God the Father when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in you. This is Jesus’s prayer for you- the most significant “In between” you can have. In John’s Gospel, Jesus prays for you. In my opening story, Jack was filled with stress and remorse for any evil he caused in this life. He prayed for forgiveness with hope that he be worthy of life with God if his walk in this life comes to an end as the car slides down the embankment.
What should you pray for as you walk in this life? Listen to Jesus’s prayer and let it be your prayer.
Faith Jesus prayed for the apostles who came to believe in him, but he also prayed for you who would come to believe in Jesus through the preaching of the apostles. It is this faith which we profess that unites us as Church.
Union Jesus prayed that we be united with each other just as He is one with the Father. Then we, united with each other, would then also be united in the Father.
Glory Jesus prayed that we have the same glory that the Father gave to Jesus. This glory will bring us to perfection as one, so that the world would see and know that the union of Jesus in the Father is the same union we have with Jesus and the Father. This is the foundation of the Church which brings us to true life.
Love Sin is disbelief in God and God’s will for all creation. It is sin that separates us from each other and from God. Jesus prays that the love that unites Jesus in the Father, the same love that unites us with each other, would bring us to life in the Father as well. It is the love that the Father has for Jesus would be the love that the Father has for us. So, the love -that we have for each other and brings us to life in the Father – will show the world the Father’s intention and His will for all creation.