Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Walking on holy ground is how I like to describe chaplaincy. But indeed it is a theological statement that can undergird all ministry, and even our life as disciples. It is in approaching a patient, a friend or a stranger with a sense of wonder and awe that we realize a sacredness in the moment. These instances have the power to transform situations and bring about conversion for all involved.
Sometimes conversion happens when we least expect it. A month ago a patient who I visited was considering going to hospice. They shared with me that they wanted to be right with the Lord so that they would be assured of eternal life. The Spirit gave me the response what would it take to be in right relationship with God. The answer, that was hidden within this patient, revealed a deep need to be loved by God. In the conversation that followed the patient shared deeply about their missteps and regrets, and about their hopes and dreams. After the intensity of our time the patient asked me if I would baptize them and so I did. God made me aware of the holy ground of that encounter, especially as I never expected such a profound experience walking into the room.
Certainly Moses never expected to find God while he was out tending sheep and that was where God called to him. It was there that Moses came to recognize God with a sense of wonder and awe. When God calls out to us do we recognize that which is being revealed? How do we approach God’s powerful presence? Do we see ourselves as on holy ground in our encounter with others?
"Lord, continue to reveal Yourself to us in ways that are unexpected. Help us to have a childlike faith so that our hearts realize that we are always on holy ground. Then in all we say and do we will be ready to live and honor You in both this world and the next. Amen!"
- Deacon Michael Montgomery