Mark Dohle
Well-Known Member
This day
All journeys have secret destinations of which
the traveler is unaware.-Martin Buber
Life can make no sense whatsoever. I have met people here in the retreat house whose lives have been one disaster after another. They have to endure loved ones, serious health problems, and financial situations that are very dour and without any respite whatsoever. Even those whose lives are ‘normal’ have their share of events that can take away all meaning from their lives.
What is our destination, the place our lives seem to propel us towards? Our faith can give us some sort of ‘place’ to try to figure things out, but in the end, all we can do is to live each day as it comes. Jesus did say that ‘this day has enough to deal with, tomorrow is best left alone until it becomes ‘this day'.
When people keep on course and do not allow bitterness to overwhelm them, they often find a deep peace that keeps them afloat. I have found this true of everyone no matter what they believe. “A good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bad fruit”. This saying of Jesus is not dealing with life’s events or situations, but about what kind of a human being we are becoming through our struggles and daily choices. The ‘Word”, does work in ways that we will never understand, yet we can make an act of faith and move forward in hope (another choice) each ‘this-day’. Anyone who can face their problems and still moves forward to become more loving human beings, no matter their situation, are living lives of ‘grace’ and are unsung heroes. These people are many, they are all around us, yet they can go unnoticed and forgotten. Yet what is that ‘secret destination’ all about? I do think that life is about much more than we can imagine, and it is good to keep open a childlike attitude to being surprised.-Br.MD