The Sacred Now
An old acquaintance who tends to be a bit rigid came up to me and asked, we no, stated "When are you going to learn? All you talk about is the poor. They are killing themselves. If we don't change the culture, the world will collapse. Jesus is not coming back a happy man." I smiled and asked how his knee replacement surgery had affected his running. He looked at me surprised and quickly changed the subject. I wondered what it was like to know the mind of Jesus and his particular mood upon arrival. Interesting.
I wished him well, turned around and just then a raindrop landed on my forehead. At that one instant, I found so much joy in the sacred present. The mystery of water, the mystery of the now. The previous conversation was an ancient relic. The potential argument or irritation began to collect dust.
When the raindrop touched my forehead, nothing else mattered. I stopped in mid-stride. So natural. I did not intentionally stop; my body became still as if to say "wait. This matters, the present, is now, and you are being blessed. Stop. It was a sacred moment." Maybe that one drop created for me at the moment found me. Maybe Jesus was reflecting his particular mood. Either way, I was blessed by the sacred present and rain, my body made me stop. The Holy present touched with joy and gratitude.
I want to live like that always.