“Blowin’ in the Wind” (12/08/2023)

This morning began very early for me. It is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. I want to go to mass today, but it is at 7 a.m. in another town. So, I rose early to get in my prayer time on the porch and write my posts before I left for Mass. As I sat on the porch in prayer, the wind was noticeable. It wasn’t a fierce wind, but a persistent and gentle wind rustling the upper branches of the trees. And suddenly, right in the middle of my prayer time, I started singing Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.” The LORD writes straight for me with crooked lines.

I sat for the longest time, listening to the wind swirl above me and beyond me. And the lyrics to that song just kept running through my mind. I thought they were inspired the first time I heard them in 1963 – I was 13. Today at 73, I am certain they are inspired by the Spirit. Question is, will we listen?

Here are the lyrics:

How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man? How many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand? Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

Yes, and how many years must a mountain exist Before it is washed to the sea? And how many years can some people exist Before they're allowed to be free? Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

Yes, and how many times must a man look up Before he can see the sky? And how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry? Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

As I sat, I prayed to the LORD that we “hear”. And I prayed to the LORD that our world, wracked by wars and strife and suffering be stilled through loving resolution, authentic care, and a desire for unity that surpassed all desires for power. And finally, I prayed that I understand my role, that my daily prayer that the LORD make me an instrument of His peace open me to the realizations of what I could and should be doing.

And I found myself praying the prayer I wrote for our bible study:

Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts and minds of your faithful servants and inflame them with the fire of your divine love. Open our minds and hearts to your word. Help us to comprehend the wisdom You spread before us as well as the love You shower upon us. Assist us in discerning your will for us and strengthen our resolve so that we might live fully the life you are calling us to live in You, with You, and through You. Come, O Holy Spirit, Come.

This day, as we continue our journeys in faith, hope and love, may we seek to be the instruments of the LORD in our world, may we seek the peace that comes from loving the LORD and one another, and may we open ourselves to the LORD’s stirring within us and around us. During this season of Advent, may we intentionally seek the peace of the LORD for all.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.