Reach Out Your Hand and Believe
Images can say a great deal. They can inspire or be heartbreaking. Images can move us to prayer and action. Images can humble us and bring perspective. If you’ve looked at any news outlet, you’ve probably seen images of the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. So many of these images look almost identical to what I witnessed firsthand along the coast of Mississippi where Katrina made landfall. Since then, there have been improvements such as the levee system of New Orleans that held firm through Ida. But as with any catastrophe, there was no way to predict what would go wrong under such intense conditions – the failure of the electrical systems being one example. We in Houston are no strangers to the unexpected outcomes of disasters. The opening of the levee gates after Harvey had passed that flooded Buffalo Bayou affected our area quite profoundly and many of us very personally.
I am often amazed at how closely the Gospel overlaps with our lives. Compartmentalizing different parts of our lives is an observable default. There is religion stuff and then family stuff and then work stuff and then entertainment stuff and then…well you get it. But, in moments of crises, there seems to be a singularity. All the compartments collapse and we are left with the reality before us. If we look at the cross of Christ, we see a catastrophe of infinite proportion. God as revealed in Jesus died in a terrible way. No one knew what to do. It wasn’t until days later that the fullness of the Gospel began to be shown to the disciples and the world.
An image can say a great deal and some of the most renown images in the world convey those last days of Jesus’ life. Today I saw Da Vinci’s Last Supper shown on the mask of the person who greeted me at the front desk of Holy Spirit’s School. One of the most moving statues I’ve ever witnessed is the Pieta in St. Peter’s Basilica which shows Mary holding Jesus in her lap after the crucifixion. It is the only work Michelangelo ever signed. Obviously, the cross has been portrayed innumerable times to try to convey magnitude. That said, I easily recall the cover of our post-Easter bulletins showing the painting of Thomas reaching out to touch the wound in Jesus’ side as the promise of resurrection began to set in.
I offer this to acknowledge that God knows hard. With that truth, our hope is that no amount of difficulty or pain can undo the promise of ultimate redemption. What is before us is the work of loving and helping our neighbors through the aftermath. We are people of hope. May our hope bring us to care for those who are in need. God is good enough and big enough to make it so.
We love you and God loves you,
Josh Condon+