As I read the retreat material, I was struck by the priest’s statement: “His [God’s] life is dynamic presence.” And with that, I could feel the world throbbing with His powerful dynamism. It was all around, working everywhere. I have read somewhere that this is the Age of the Holy Spirit, so to speak, and I can believe it! But, I asked, if the Spirit is so active now, why does the world seem such a dark, forbidding place? All you hear about is death and destruction. In answer, I was given a quick “flash” of the newsroom on the local TV channel I watch, and I was given to understand that few of His movements, of themselves, are “headline events,” but collectively they outweigh the darkness. Again, it was love covering a multitude of sins.

My Father also spoke to me through the priest’s allegory of the beautiful cradle and the deformed baby. But, again, He showed me the positive side. He showed me that He made both the cradle and the baby. Though the baby is marred by an outside force (sin), He still retains the power to heal, and He will!

In Isaiah 1:6ff and 2:6ff, the Scriptures present a sick society, very much as ours is sick. But, yet again, there is hope. Our Father invited Israel to work things out with Him, and that invitation still stands for us.

Hosea 10 recalled to me that He allowed Israel to be taken captive as a chastisement, but then He also led them back out of captivity—always, always, my Father is showing me hope.

It was the same with Wisdom 11:23ff. An idolatrous Israel is presented, but, while I read it, my Father kept giving me images of the martyrs in Maccabees covering the multitude of idolatries with their faithfulness. The retreat keeps trying to show me how sick the world is, but He keeps showing me the cure! Perhaps tomorrow I should ask Him why He’s working this way.