John Vianney: Disoriented
Are you open to the possibilities that only God can see for you?
Our Guest Blogger today is: Myrna Udelhofen, Spiritual Director, lover of all things Ignatian and wife of Deacon Steve.
Not so long ago, Steve and I experienced what it was like to experience a flood of disorientation. As Matthew Kelly states in his book, “God is always found in the present moment, but the present moment can seem brutal at times, and that brutality can make him seem very far away.”
We felt that we were on the path God had intended for us to take. Steve was a newly ordained Deacon and I had just received my Masters Degree from Creighton University along with my Spiritual Direction certificate. It seemed we were where we were supposed to be.
It became clear in a very few months that something was happening with Steve’s health over which we had no control. Everyday Steve was having more and more trouble simply getting from one place to another. The simple task of walking was getting harder and harder. Steven’s health was rapidly declining.
Our health professionals couldn’t provide us with any answers. Following months of tests and treatment that provided no answers Steve’s health continued to decline. We finally went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Within days, we knew what the problem was and we were given a surgical plan.
Within hours of the surgery, Steve was walking again. Full recovery was sure and steady. At times the “present moment” seemed brutal. It was just at those times when it was most difficult to feel God’s presence that the “hands and arms of Christ”, through a parishioner or friend would be present to us. Throughout the experience we consistently felt the prayers of many and we were grateful. God was then and is now always present in every moment.
Although we don’t believe God chose Steve’s illness, we believe that God used it. We feel that we are now more trusting, patient, compassionate, and loving. What we received through God and others we try to pass on to others. As Teresa Avila said,” Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.”