Mystery!

Kim Long, DRE

JANUARY IS WITH us once again. We have made it to 2021, and I am hoping and praying that it brings with it some light, some joy and relief for the worry we seem to have been burdened with.

This is the time when Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord usher us back to Ordinary Time. In this time of year, we hear much about revelation and manifestation. - what is God showing us and how are we engaging with it. Those are wonderful questions to sit with, ponder, and contemplate as the world around us slows the fever pitch of Christmas shopping. In the quiet evenings when I come home after work I feel a hushed peace and quiet and an actual slowing down (at least for a little while) so I think this is perfect weather for contemplation, perfect timing for us to allow God to capture our attention.

As a young girl I loved mystery novels. Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, The Meg Mysteries. I devoured them the way some people devoured dessert or hamburgers. Later I came to know Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple. I moved on to spy novels by Helen McInnis. I read them for sheer enjoyment - I was not the reader who tried to solve the mystery. I just followed the characters lead, trusting all would be revealed in that just right moment.

I still don’t read to solve the mystery. There are times when the solution presents itself and shines brightly in the last third of the book, and I read even faster to see if my instinct held true. Usually it does.

In the verse from Daniel, we are reminded that God is the revealer of mystery. I find that when I read scripture I don’t try to solve it, I don’t fixate on the “eternal” why or why not. I find it better to let God lead me where it is I am to go. Scripture is not a mystery novel, but it can be a mystery, and solving it is often not the point of the exercise - engagement is. God reveals himself in so many ways, even in celebrations such as Mardi Gras.

Carnival is a sort of sub-season in our calendar, not strictly speaking official, but it exists in Louisiana (as well as a couple other regions) in part to remind us that God enjoys life...after all it is a gift He gives us over and over or as John Shea, theologian and poet, often states “God is the God of second chances.” I have just read that this year’s celebration of carnival or Mardi Gras has been cancelled. The reasons for this are prudent, so I book no argument there. Instead I think I will celebrate Mardi Gras with my own family, my dining table as my parade float, a space where I bring forth juicy food dripping with flavor, dripping with life! And in this unexpected gift of quiet time I will take it and be present and see what the Lord has to reveal to me.

Alas, friends, not all mysteries are so lofty. Often at this time of year, I open the fridge or freezer and there it is...a zip lock bag full of something but we are not sure what exactly. It is not old, simply unmarked. (It turned out to be breakfast sausage by the way). It was during one of these moments when I concocted this dish which was surprisingly delicious. I offer it to you in hopes that you find it tasty and filling.

I look forward to journeying through another cycle of time and celebrating life. Please God may I have ears to hear and eyes to see and a heart to employ the gifts and lessons you reveal to me. Amen.

Kim Long is the Director of Religious Education for Saint Mary of the Pines Parish.