Invitations

Yesterday we reflected on being at a crossroads — at a threshold.

Poet and philosopher John O'Donohue writes about these pivotal moments: "There are huge thresholds in every life. If you are in the middle of a busy evening, with fifty things to do, and you get a phone call that someone you love is suddenly dying, it takes ten seconds to communicate that information. But when you put the phone down, you are already standing in a different world. Everything that seemed so important before is gone, and now you are thinking only of this. The solid ground we stand on is more tentative than we imagine."

O'Donohue also reflects on the word itself: "If you go back to the etymology of 'threshold,' it's a farming term. It comes from 'threshing' — separating the grain from the husk. The threshold is a place where you move into a more critical, challenging, and worthy fullness."

Think about it. There are many thresholds in every life — graduations, births, the loss of loved ones, the onset of illness, hitting rock bottom, a transcendent moment, a global pandemic.

These crossroads, these thresholds, are invitations. Invitations to look more deeply at our lives, to reflect on our faith, to ask for help, to recall what is most important, to look for the light — and quite possibly to make a new beginning. They are ever invitations to heal, to grow, and to deepen.

The prophet Jeremiah said, "Stand at the crossroads and look, and ask for the ancient paths where the good way lies, and walk in it. And find rest for your souls."

Let us pray: Gracious God, in the pivotal moments of life, grant us courage, strength, and hope. Help us to see, if nothing else, only the very next step along the path. Assure us with your presence. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

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