Rocky Shur6/27/2019 Thursday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
When I read the scriptures for today, I wondered what in the world I would make of them. The “road to Shur” was the first to catch my attention. The LORD's messenger found her by a spring in the wilderness, the spring on the road to Shur, and he asked, "Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" I thought how wonderful it would be on the road to “Sure,” having complete trust and confidence that you were on the right road that would lead to a “sure thing.” The story of Hagar, however, is rife with turmoil and confusion. She is on a rocky road, lost and alone. There is nothing “sure” on the road to Shur for Hagar. (Like so many of the biblical stores that have to do with the ancestral faith of Israel and with Hagar and Ishmael, the Muslim faith, one is not really sure of what to make of them!) When I read the Gospel, however, what came to mind was the photo of a “house built on rock” that I had stayed in seven years ago. Now that’s a house built on a rock! And, for sure, there’s a story behind my staying there. A friend and I had decided to take a trip up the coast of Maine to see its “rocky shores.” A search for places to stay led to the Samoset. After a harrowing trip of rain, wind and winding roads, we finally arrived only to be told that our reservations were not until the next day and they were totally booked! Fortunately for me, I showed them the reservation confirmation, which, in fact, was for the day we arrived. After some fussing and fidgeting on their part, the manager told me that since it was their fault, they would give us the only place they had available for the price we were supposed to pay for simple accommodations. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the “Flume Cottage,” the house built on a rock that you see above. Whenever I hear Jesus speaking of a “sure thing” with the image of the house built on rock and not on sand, I think of how blessed I was to be gifted with a few days in this special place after a rocky start along the rocky shore. Before leaving the scriptures, we’re left to reflect on the question that the Lord’s messenger poses to Hagar. “Where have you come from and where are you going?” It’s good to know that these essential questions of life were being asked almost 4000 years ago. Wherever we’ve come from, no matter how rocky the road has been, I hope we are all on the road to God’s “Sure!”
2 Comments
Tina
6/28/2019 09:40:44 am
Thanks for writing about Hagar. I usually hear about her in my husband’s synagogue. The questions put to her by God are indeed universal. Juxtaposing these questions with your random (I should say providential!) stay at the Flume Cottage in Maine brings those questions into the light where I can begin to understand them better. The Flume Cottage is exactly like the imagined outpost in Maine that I have had in my mind’s eye for many years. My “dream home” has always been a rocky shore in Maine where the trees grow right up to the edge of the sea. I framed a photo I took in Acadia National Park that has all these elements, but no house. You found the house, and it looks just like the one I’ve imagined for so long! How fortuitous that you found it! Thanks for sharing this special story,
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Rose
6/29/2019 04:55:57 pm
Love this serendipity
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Leave a Reply.AuthorAs an ordained Catholic priest for 45 years and a member of the Jesuits for 57 years, I've had a great deal of "spiritual" experience! This is a place where I can continue to share my thoughts about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and what it means to live the "mystery of God." Categories |