[I WILL LIFT MY EYES TO THE MOUNTAINS by Tony Alonso]
Many of us like to travel. We travel be car, snowmobile, but plane. They take us places. But the toughest journey of all is the journey inward.
(verse 1)
It is time for me to move from my shelter of safety
To sail as a pilgrim over the waves of the sea
It is time to be still and to seek the son of Mary
Time to rest, time to leave behind my fears.
You see, in the journey of life we often carry lots of baggage: old wounds, old fears, past hurts, lack of trust. Yet each of us is invited to come as we are, like the man in the gospel, and stand in the presence of Jesus.
(verse 2)
And I will not fear the storm though it rages around me.
For slowly I am learning to place my trust in you.
To forgive ev’ry hurt and to loosen ev’ry burden
To let go and to follow where you lead.
(refrain)
I will lift my eyes to the mountains
From where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord
So I’ll walk in the light of the path set before me
For I know your love will show me the way.
The man in the gospel stands before Jesus. He’s a leper, which was something, back then, that would never be changed. Through no fault of his own, he was always to be that way. All of us have something that makes us lepers . . . something about ourselves (maybe a bodily deformity, maybe or a disease, maybe a mental un-wellness) OR we are lepers because of something we did that we don’t want anyone to know about, OR we are lepers because we just don’t seem to fit in . . . with the other kids at school, or with the jokes or gossip at work, or with the political views of family members. We are all lepers to some degree. And we don’t think it’s ever going to change.
We might even have tried to plead with God, or with Jesus . . . to take this “thing” away, make us clean. And Jesus says in the gospel today, “I do will it. Be made clean.” So, here’s a question for you, if that “thing you have” would get cleaned up, or healed for you . . . how would you be different? How would your life be changed?
(verse 3)
Though I know you have prepared a path for me to follow
I’ll never know for certain that I follow where you lead
Still I’ll trust that my desire to please you will guide me
And I trust that you will keep me from harm.
We never really know if we are doing God’s will or not. Fr. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, once wrote, but simply our desire to do God’s will is all that God wants.
We are building a new Church, we have the go-ahead to do it. And do we know for CERTAIN that we are doing God’s will? We may never know for certain, but we are asked to trust the Holy Spirit working through THREE Bishops (Bishop Kinney, Bishop Kettler and now Bishop Neary) who have given us this direction and direction on this. So, with the contributions from 396 households (parishioners and non-parishioners), and with the many all-parish meetings and the work and planning of our parish councils and committees and with the excitement from so many of you, especially the young families and our youth. . . . we look forward to the future of the Catholic presence in this area. I believe that our best years as a parish are ahead for us. And you are invited to trust the Holy Spirit working through to make this happen.
Jesus wants good things for you. You are invited to trust. That is, even if that “leprosy thing” you have, doesn’t seem to change immediately . . . it will. Or better yet, you’ll be able face life in fullness with it, despite it. For “that thing” doesn’t name you, it doesn’t define, it’s not who you are. Your life is bigger than that. That “thing” is just a small part of who you are. And remember, you won’t be alone.
(verse 4)
I may stumble, I may fall, and get lost on the journey
And my path will surely lead me-to-the shadow of death
Yet I will not fear the storm for you are ever with me
Never leaving me to face my fears alone
(refrain)
I will lift my eyes to the mountains
From where shall come my help?
My help shall come from the Lord
So I’ll walk in the light of the path set before me
For I know your love will show me the way.