Daily Reflection for Thursday, April 21, 2022
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Thursday's readings at this link:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042122.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 3:11-26
Responsorial: Psalm 8:2ab, 5, 6-7, 8-9
Gospel: Luke 24:35-48
Our reflection on Thursday’s readings:
“Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment . . . ”(Acts of the Apostles: 3:19-20)
I am a photographer-want-to-be. Perhaps I shared that in one of my previous reflections. I am grateful to have a nice camera, a camera on my personal phone, and a camera on my work phone. I am never without one it seems.
Privileged is the word that comes to me, to have access to a tool that captures images that I want to view again. Grateful that the digital age came to be, as I have a collection of photo albums of family get-togethers, places I’ve visited, and people who have crossed my journey, that I am not sure what do with now. Difficult to discard photos of times once had. And while I rarely look at them, when I do, the past moves into the present as I flip through the pages of ageing photos.
In today’s first reading, my eyes were fixed on this passage — “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment . . .” As life unfolds, I realize that the camera has been a tool for me to use during the time God has given me to refresh, renew, and heal from life challenges. It has disciplined me to intentionally look for beauty along the way and to pause long enough to focus, see the image in the right lighting, and to wait long enough for enough stillness in me to capture the image. I tend to “photo” the beauty I see in nature and in people enjoying life.
The camera has trained my eye to see detail, to look with intention, and to take in the beauty of images that blesses the environment by its sheer existence. Perhaps this is how I reflect on this passage. That no matter how hard life gets, how many stupid things I can do or say in a given day, or in the midst of great challenge, God grants me time of refreshment so I can be ready to follow Christ. I’m grateful for the camera as it has helped me to recognize this sacred gift of rest, healing, and renewal. This gift allows me to wake each day ready to see God in all things.
May you notice—the gift—your time for refreshment today,
Margarita Solis Deal