This morning I awoke with a little fantasy image of a bunch of lively Jewish children at a beach in Israel looking out at the Sea of Galilee. The children had met Jesus on the beach and were all excited that this guy was having a cookout for them and serving them hot dogs with mustard. Imagine. The kids were thrilled, covered with mustard and ketchup, plus this Jesus guy’s offering them forbidden beach food in the morning!
He also had given them each a hug, even the one who was scared of disobeying the Law. Jesus told them that God loved each of them for being special, and loved every single morsel of this whole world the same. TOTAL MERCY.
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I have been an Associate of the Sisters of Mercy for over thirty years now and very grateful at 86 still to have a mind that prays and reads.
What I am reading just now is Sister Elizabeth Johnson's book, "Come, Have Breakfast” Orbis Books, 2024, written “For people who band together at the international, national, and local levels to protect Earth's land, water, and air and all living beings . . ."
What I love the most about Sister Elizabeth's book is her, let's call it, panoramic view of all Creation as if the eye of a needle were actually big enough for a whole herd of camels to pass through, or the entire spiritual community of Life to be seen—not to mention that the risen Jesus, certified long dead, yet still serving breakfast as a cookout on the beach.
Such enormous envisioning forces me to expand my image of Divinity itself and envision God not as expendable but expandable.
I grew up in New York City, my child's eye view was crowded out by skyscrapers. Nevertheless I trained my eye upwards until I saw God in the spaces between those buildings, leading me in time to write a book called The God Between Us, and to see Creation itself as accompaniment not possession, God being quite free of gender, color, class, caste, ethnicity, species, and even, yes, any one brand of religion.
Thank you, Sister Elizabeth, for such mercies and Mercy.
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And thanks to all: my spouse, all our children, all my friends and family, and that Amazing Grace always near and present to us all through it all.
