Walking in the Shadow of the Lord.

Walking in the Shadow of the Lord

Beneath the clouds of mystery we find God’s presence at any time of the day.  What does this mean in the moment of our human capacity to grasp this unseen phenomena?  How can our presence with people of need find even the shadow of God touching many through us?  

From the Acts of the Apostles we find Peter and John with many signs and wonders being performed among the people through their hands.  Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.  (Acts 5: 12, 15). 

It isn’t as though something magical occurred as if they were magicians performing an act to gain popularity.  It is the grace of God, through these chosen individuals, that brings about healings by way of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  Although Peter and John didn’t go through a ministerial ceremony like those of us who are ordained, they did in fact receive the same when Jesus chose them and sent them forth:  “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,  And behold, I am with you until the end of the age.”  (Mt 28: 19 - 20).  

What is this shadow of the Lord that realistically brings healings without a physical touch?  In the Charismatic movement we see people coming forth to receive a blessing when we who are the ministers touch them usually on the forehead and watch as most will fall as in a gesture of grace that we are not the cause of this.  I remember one trip to Steubenville, Ohio at a charismatic retreat for priests and deacons as we were standing after a session of spiritual readings and prayers.  The conversation that ensued was that very outward expression of people falling without their just making believe the Spirit touched them.  My comment was I never had that happen to me.  One priest said really; then he touched me and my legs became like rubber and down I went.  It was an eye-opener for me and I now understand how the Holy Spirit enters into our lives when we are expecting or looking for some type of healing.

The first time I was one of the ministers at a Charismatic gathering and received people coming forth for blessings, I watched as many collapsed when I touched them and the usual format is to have what we call catchers to keep them from getting hurt as they fell.  I know there will be some who might not accept this, but they also  won’t accept tongues and other phenomenal charisms that occur.  

St. Paul speaks about the functions of these gifts.  Listen to the most spoken scripture passage in the bible that should touch the hearts of everyone.  “If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.”   “So faith, hope, love remain, these three: but the greatest of these is love.”  1 Cor 13: 1, 13

There may be some people who feel called to walk this path of expressing God’s grace through the Holy Spirit but due to weakness of some constant sin are afraid to step out.  Use the words that Jesus told Pau when he complained about the thorn in his side.  “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  (2 Cor 12: 9). 

Never think that the weakness might be your dissolution to ministry.  The one evil that promotes an attitude of perfection without ever failing is pride.  Don’t sin, then believe you are God’s perfection found in a pound of flesh.  This we must avoid since we still need the grace of God to continue in ministry as the shadow of God.  

Ralph B. Hathaway