What About Dave

The movie “Around the World In 80 Days” was on T.V. recently. “It’s the fictional story of Phileas Fogg making a very large wager with a snobbish member of the prestigious Reform Club that he can circumnavigate the world in 80 days.” 

It reminded me of a mindset that can plague me when I travel…. should I try to spend 2 hours in each country or stay in one place for the entire time. I may never get back to Europe again so I better keep moving …. I may not get back to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so I better allocate 5 seconds for each painting.  Ideally you spend a year in France and travel about or live in New York for a year and casually visit the key spots. I think that only happens in the movies. 

Unfortunately this same mindset can plague my travels through the scripture. There is so much to read and ponder …. I better hurry up or I’ll never get through everything. Traveling with Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Bible In A Year” is taking my breath away. It’s a great overview of the scripture, but there is a real need to stop and spend a few weeks here and there. 

I try to read Luke 1:69-79 most days … the Canticle of Zechariah. Yet even this  very familiar passage can end up being a “race around the canticle in 80 seconds”. In truth these 9 verses are so rich, I could spend the rest of my life pondering them. Consider verses 78 & 79, “in the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Wow, there is such depth in these two verses. I can picture myself too often dwelling in darkness and the shadow of death, out of peace ….auuuuuugh ….. but then the dawn from on high breaks upon me with the tender compassion, the tender mercy of our God…. feel the relief. Part of the relief comes from not racing to finish, but to stop and allow the tender compassion of the Lord to break like a wave over me…. powerful and refreshing and cleansing and healing. Wonderful ! 

So, the next time we’re tempted to race thru the scripture, let’s stop and ask the Holy Spirit to take charge of our time, and to help us savor the blessings of the present moment. Let’s spend a summer in Europe and a year at the Met and a lifetime in the word of God. That sounds like very good news.