Reflections from the Heart – March 26, 2023

Fifth Sunday of Lent
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“I trust in the LORD; my soul trusts in his word.”  Will you come to the deep with me?  These are words the Lord expressed to me but they also relate to all of us.  Will you trust in the Lord to forgive you, to love you, and provide for you? The deep is a place we long and thirst for but are afraid of letting go for fear of drowning in sorrow, of losing control, of the unknown.  The Lord invites us not to think of the deep in terms of human constructs, thoughts, images or experiences.  We think of deep water as dark, violent, filled with terrifying creatures, terrifying indeed. We think of large waves that overwhelm us. We sink, are taken down, take in water, we drown and die. The Lord shows us a different image and inspires different thoughts.  He provides a different experience to consider. The water God invites us into is calm, warm, sparkling blue.  No one in the water but you. The ocean appears as a crystal blue clear sky with the most beautiful, radiant clouds as pockets of air and light reflecting God’s glory; reflecting God’s presence under the water.  Like light that bounces off a crystal, God reflects beauty underwater.  The Father extends an invitation to you to come into the deep.  No fear, no concern, no hesitation, no anxieties, no worries.  Just simply say yes for you long for this.  Under the warm water, the light is like a shiny gem. I look and filled with awe, realize I am still breathing, not drowning. I am more alive in the water, under the water than above on the ground.  This is heavenly.  This is trust.  An invitation to deepen trust in the Lord.  To surrender the fear and to embrace God’s love and presence.  The Father continues to invite and encourage us.  He says, stay here with me, pray here with me, obey here with me, love here with me, minister from here with me.  The Father invites us to consider that leaving this place is likened to a fish ensnared and caught in a net.  As if one is being hauled to the shore and dying. On the shore awaits war, darkness, chaos, division, death.  As long as we remain in the deep blue with the Lord, we live and are loved and please the Father.  The deep is a spiritual exercise of surrender and trust.  Can you surrender it all including all your fears and simply trust that God will provide all that you need?