God's Wisdom and Love

“Father in heaven, it is right that we should give you thanks and glory: you are the one God, living and true. You are the source of life and goodness, you have created all things, to fill your creatures with every blessing and lead all people to the joyful vision of your light.” These words, from the preface to the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass, were shared this morning at Our Lady of the Dunes parish in Florence. The pastor, Fr. David Brown, kindly arranged for Dave, Paula, Paul, and I to stay at St. John’s in Reedsport, so I returned the favor by “covering” for him this morning at the Florence Mass. He is pastor at both Florence and Reedsport, though he will soon be leaving for a new assignment at St. Paul parish in Eugene. The people here will miss him greatly. At Mass, I shared with the faithful parishioners that many years ago a young man joined me and other pilgrims in Israel. One day on the bus, that young man moved up to the front row where I was seated and posed a question. He said, “How does someone know if he’s being called to be a priest?” I asked, “Do we both know this someone?” Many conversations followed that initial exchange and today, lo and behold, I was “covering” for that very young man, now Fr. David. God is, indeed, good!

It‘s worth hearing these words again: “You are the source of life and goodness, you have created all things, to fill your creatures with every blessing and lead all people to the joyful vision of your light.” As is evident after 17 days of the journey, there are countless creatures who have crossed my path these days and reminded me of God’s blessings. Today’s path took me from Siltcoos Lake to downtown Reedsport. Along the way, I passed through the town of Gardiner and found a park bench on the banks of the Umpqua River. Before saying what I encountered, let me mention that at least one of my daily walks in Eugene, every day for 12 years, involved crossing the Amazon Canal. There were often Red-winged Blackbirds along the Amazon and I grew accustomed to their songs. Well, today I didn’t see such a bird -- but I sure heard her. I was transported, in a sense, back home and looked briefly for more familiar surroundings. Farther down on the Umpqua, I saw a Cormorant which was proudly opening his wings as he sat on an old pier. They are quite a sight when they are fishing, but today’s “wing display” was a welcome surprise. At the end of the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer, we prayed these words today: “In your kingdom, freed from the corruption of sin and death, we shall sing your glory with every creature through Christ our Lord, through whom you give us everything that is good.”

Elbow Lake

Umpqua Valley

 As I finished the journey today, between miles 11 and 12, I encountered an older man who was out for a walk. He was wearing one of those Retired Navy caps and walking with the aid of a cane. He stopped in front of me and held his cane up a little, saying that he was impressed with mine. I told him that it had served me well for 200 or so miles and it had to carry me to Brookings. He said, “Son, that’s a long way.” I said, “Yes, sir, it is.” Then I explained that I was doing all of this because of a group called 1^st Way and how much I admired their work, caring for pregnant young women both before and after they give birth. He paused for a moment and then said, “You know, young man, good mothers make for good kids and good kids make for a good world. Isn’t that right?” I also told him that, if he was a praying man, I’d appreciate his prayers for about the next 12 days or so. He said, “You can count on ‘em.”

The final word today from the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer: “We acknowledge your greatness, all your actions show your wisdom and love. You formed us in your own likeness and set us over the whole world to serve you, our Creator.”

 

Old Rail Bridge, Umpqua River

Old and Historic Umpqua River Bridge

New Umpqua Bridge (Gateway to Reedsport)