There is a longing in my heart…

How would you complete this sentence? Have you taken the time to quiet your heart and listen to your own heart and soul? What do you long for more than food, more than family, more than coffee in the morning?

This past Thursday, I woke up before the sun broke the horizon. I then lit a candle and celebrated Eucharist. The Gospel reading for the day was about the woman who barged into the home where Jesus was a guest. She was a mess. Her tears were spilling out and her hair was loosely flowing in a most unkempt whirlwind. Jesus was reclining at table so his feet were behind him as he propped his body on his elbow. The table was low. I once ate like this when I was living in Korea as an inspector for the U.S. Coast Guard. The intimacy of those dinners took on a whole new perspective.

My longing has been aroused as I imagine how Jesus might have celebrated those meals with his friends. The woman allowed her most generous tears to pour out onto the feet of Jesus and then she, gasp, dried them with her tears. She then had the audacity to kiss his feet.

Then I pondered whether I have such a longing to wash the feet of Jesus. Many of us might say, “O yes, I will wash Jesus’ feet.” But when Jesus takes on the disguise of say a homeless person or a prostitute…we balk.

There is a longing in my heart O Lord, for you to reveal yourself to us.

There is a longing in our hearts for love, we only find in you O God…

For justice, for freedom, for mercy here our prayer,

In sorrow, in grief…be near hear our prayer O God.

I long for wisdom, courage and comfort…in weakness and fear.

I long for healing, wholeness and new life…in sickness and death.

I was at a zoo and longed to see a panda bear. However, I wasn’t longing enough to wait in the line. But then, someone said we could go to the other side without a wait. So I went with my friends and saw Shing-Shen. She was amazing. I longed to stay longer…but knew we had to move on.

Then when I looked at the pictures that were taken, I realized that I longed to share these pictures with you, Beloved. So here they are.

I truly long to share the Awe and Wonder of God with the people of God. I long to dance and explore the beauty of God’s creation. There is a longing in my heart…

Have a most wonderful week.

Love, joy, peace,

Father Ron Moses +

www.tearinthedesert.com

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