Ocean Prayer

Two nights ago we 'camped' at a truck stop near the Arizona/California border, last night we stopped north of Malibu. Life on the road is an adventure. When we first arrived, a young man with back pack and sleeping bag asked if he could 'borrow' our picnic table for a moment - he was all excited to set up his camera and take a quick photo of the sunset. After he got the picture he wanted, I watched him go and recalled my year on the road with my guitar and back pack. Traveling in the RV is so similar - yes, the 'back pack' is bigger - but the sense of adventure is still here. Back then there were many times of boredom - now we pray for moments of down time. Today will be one of them. Last night we walked to the seashore and the moon was so bright it was like daylight. We recorded some audio and - well, you'll know if we succeed in uploading it. This morning the boys and I walked down to the ocean and me, being me, wanted to insert some prayer into our lives. I want the boys to know that prayer is not just words.

I told them to look at how huge the ocean is and think of how God's mercy is even bigger. It is so big, it is called an 'Infinite Ocean of Mercy'. Now grab a rock. Notice the difference. Let this stone be your worry. Toss it into the waves and see how the ocean swallows it up. God's mercy swallows up our fear faster than that. See that stone? Call that one hate or greed. Throw it into the ocean of mercy. Where is it? Gone. Mercy is bigger.

Then we saw a huge rock and called it 'murder'. I said even the sins that are too big for us to throw in are swallowed up by the tide. If we are too weak - God comes to carry the stone into the waves for us. I told them to remember there is nothing they could do - no sin they could commit that could be bigger than God's mercy. We kept looking at the ocean and then grabbing rocks and yelling out what sin or worry they were as we threw them as far as we could and watched them disappear. Our arms got sore. Prayer from the heart might sometimes use words but it always goes beyond words.

If some of you readers have not been to the ocean in person - make it a pilgrimage. If you can't make a trip soon, go rent 'Castaway' with Tom Hanks and try to take in the size and vastness of this liquid wilderness.

I watched the boys stumbling over the rocks and thought of how so many of us stumble over our sins. I thought of how easy it is for the mercy of God to swallow our sinfulness - and wondered why it takes us so long to be willing to let go of sin and toss it into the abyss of God's mercy. Our sins do not burden God; they burden us. He keeps asking us to 'gift' him with our brokenness and we keep trying to make ourselves perfect before we approach him. But he does not want our perfection - God wants to love us to perfection... beginning with our imperfections.

I saw that one of you wrote to ask about the the ministry for those who suffer with chronic illness. This is to be parish-based. It is so simple and so do-able I am sure it will spread like a holy wild fire. For now please know that your suffering is valuable. Unite it (by intention) with the suffering of Christ - especially this week. How appropriate to begin sharing more about this as we enter Holy Week. Stay tuned and perhaps offer your suffering for our efforts to get this information to you sooner.

We also invite all of you to join us in a 9 day series of prayers beginning this Friday - Good Friday, concluding on Divine Mercy Sunday - the Sunday following Easter. This series of prayers highlights the truth and beauty of the infinite ocean of God's mercy. Some of you who like the "Ocean of Mercy' CD might still be unaware that is was inspired in part by the prayers we will begin praying this Friday. Join us!