(Pharaoh’s daughter) was moved with pity for
(the infant Moses) and said, “It is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his
sister as Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to
nurse the child for you?” “Yes, do so,” she answered. So the maiden went and
called the child’s own mother. (Exodus 2:5-8)
I am
sunk in the abysmal swamp where there is no foothold; I have reached the watery
depths; the flood overwhelms me. (Psalm 69:3)
Jesus
began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since
they had not repented. (Matthew
11:20)
Piety
Soul of Christ, sanctify
me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from the side
of Christ, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me;
within your wounds, hide me; let me never be separated from you; from the evil
one, protect me; at the hour of my death, call me; and bid me to come to you;
that with your saints, I am praise you forever and ever. (Anima Christi)
Study
I had lunch
recently with a spiritual mentor, a Catholic whose writing greatly inspires me.
I shared with her my concern that my writing and speaking about the women
saints sometimes becomes too dark, too much about their struggles: Murder.
Rape. A lack of acceptance in their homes, their convents, or their
communities.
Her counsel
was that there’s always someone in the audience who’s going through something
similar, whether the person realizes or acknowledges it or not. Then she went
on to say, “Talk about the transformation. Talk about how God guided them
through the struggle and beyond.”
It was good
advice, advice that applies to us all, writer, painter, mother, father, sister,
brother, friend. We all have dark
places, as do those we love… and those who find it difficult to love. Call them
abysmal swamps if you will, as the psalmist wrote.
Those swamps
may seem impossible from which to extricate themselves. We feel so stuck, so
persecuted, so put upon, that it seems there is no way out. But if we keep our
souls, hearts, and eyes open, we may find freedom in the most unexpected of
places and people. Surely, Moses’ mother when she put him in that basket among
the reeds was beyond desperate. Her hope was that somehow, some way, someone
would be able to help. She likely was shocked to find the benefactress would be
the daughter of the very man who had condemned her son and all the other male Hebrew
infants to death, a woman who realized the child was an Israelite… and rescued
him anyway.
As with
Moses, God sometimes provides us with transformation opportunities in the most
unexpected of ways. He also will let us remain in the swamp if we prefer. The
choice is ours.
Action
Identify your
swamp. Pray for the faith to embrace the means by which you will be delivered.
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