First Kiss | September 26, 2015

First Kiss

By Jen Bedison

I’ve heard it said that before we were even planted in our mother’s womb, 

God kissed our souls with a love so perfect and true that we would spend 

our entire lives remembering it, searching for it, and longing for it.

Is there anything that can measure up to our 1^st love? 

And what if our 1^st love was the most perfect love? 

(No wonder we live in torment at times.)

Our souls remember that one kiss and that lingering sweetness 

taunts our knowing self with whispers that stop us in our tracks 

and cause us to ask, “Is that you?”

The kiss brushes against our memories like that déjà vu feeling 

we sometimes get but we can’t put our finger on it…

just that, it feels right.

A savoring sigh crosses our heart and without seeing we believe 

that our life is meant to be extraordinary.

One perfect kiss leaves its wet prints on the depths of our consciousness 

and whenever the Spirit blows we feel its sensation.

We’ve been swooned by our beloved since before we even twinkled 

and the swooning continues however hidden 

and subtle it might be to those who stop long enough to be in love.

I remember my first earthly kiss like it was yesterday 

but my first soul kiss waltzes in and out of my heart 

like the waves upon the sand.

Since I love to dance I follow its rhythm and beat 

but I still can never pin it down.

Like young ones in love, we chase after each other 

never quite finding ourselves, 

but always knowing the magic and wonder of our first kiss.

Today’s gospel is another simple one with a few morsels of grace to chew on:

While they were all amazed at his every deed,

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Pay attention to what I am telling you.

The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”

But they did not understand this saying;

its meaning was hidden from them

so that they should not understand it,

and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

First of all, Jesus’ disciples were amazed by his every deed. Raise your hand if you have ever been amazed by God’s love, a miracle, a natural wonder, or an answer to prayer? Amazement is a natural response to the manifestation of God’s glory. I take my teenagers to a huge youth conference every summer and I witness three days of their amazement at the beauty and love of God. It grips them at the core of their being and without a doubt they know that they belong to Him and that He loves them without measure. The test is always when we go home from this conference. The wonder and awe fades away and finding Jesus in the ordinary, the mundane, the routine, the trials, and the drama becomes difficult. It is a constant challenge to live in that love that they experienced on the mountaintop, and a relentless struggle to be the good news in a world of bad news. Jesus wants us to understand that joy and sorrow walk hand in hand. In fact they rely on each other.

Being a Christian is not always a walk in the park and Jesus tries to prepare his disciples for the ugly road that would soon enter the scene. They were so caught up in the razzle-dazzle of it all that they could hardly wrap their brains around something that could possibly threaten that bliss. Jesus told them and he tells us to pay attention. There will be times when we will suffer and when our faith will be tested. If we plant ourselves firmly in the wonder and awe that we experience when we see God’s glory, then we will not be uprooted when sorrows come. The disciples did not understand what had to happen in order for salvation to be fulfilled. There are many times when I don’t understand God’s plan and I am sure the same is true for you. Let’s not be afraid, like the disciples in this passage, to ask Jesus about it. Through prayer comes understanding of the things that are hidden, the matters of the heart.

I opened this reflection with a poem that I wrote inspired by a talk I heard by Ron Rolheiser, OMI. The concept is that before we were even born, God kissed us with a longing for perfect love and nothing in this life compares to that flawless kiss. It is the underlying whisper of our heart and we will spend our whole lives seeking it out to complete our souls. I think Jesus is that first kiss on our souls and the only way we can unite ourselves back to him is to lay down our lives for others. He laid his life down for us to prove that the kiss we long for is his.  

Saturday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 454

Reading 1 ZEC 2:5-9, 14-15A

I, Zechariah, raised my eyes and looked:
there was a man with a measuring line in his hand.
I asked, “Where are you going?”
He answered, “To measure Jerusalem,
to see how great is its width and how great its length.”

Then the angel who spoke with me advanced,
and another angel came out to meet him and said to him,
“Run, tell this to that young man:
People will live in Jerusalem as though in open country,
because of the multitude of men and beasts in her midst.
But I will be for her an encircling wall of fire, says the LORD,
and I will be the glory in her midst.”

Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people and he will dwell among you.

Responsorial Psalm JEREMIAH 31:10, 11-12AB, 13

R. (see 10d) The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
proclaim it on distant isles, and say:
He who scattered Israel, now gathers them together,
he guards them as a shepherd guards his flock.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
The LORD shall ransom Jacob,
he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,
they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the virgins shall make merry and dance,
and young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console and gladden them after their sorrows.
R. The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

Alleluia SEE 2 TM 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Christ Jesus destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 9:43B-45

While they were all amazed at his every deed,
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Pay attention to what I am telling you.
The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” 
But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them
so that they should not understand it,
and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.