Have you ever thought “Wow!” or exclaimed “Thank you, God!” at something you have seen or heard that is full of power or beauty? Such occasions may be rare or more frequent depending on circumstances. If you do have moments like this then treasure them and tuck them away in your memory so that you can recall them for yourselves or tell your friends about them. They are most likely to be of interest to them and possibly help them in their journeys through life.
During lockdown the daily live streamed masses Tessa and I have heard and seen have come from Hove, Sacred Heart Church, with Mgr. Michael Jackson. They have been a great help to both of us and have included several “Wow! “moments. He always starts with a list of people to pray for: the sick, those who have died, and many others who need prayers. The following for these masses is worldwide, ranging from New Zealand to Japan, South Africa, France, Chicago in USA and all over the UK. He has included prayers for a three year old who fell into a pond and has been in a coma for three months but is now starting to recover. This started with some movement when touched and is now able to sit up from time to time. That is just one example of a lockdown “Wow!” for us. Next month we will miss him as their services return to as near normal as possible. If you have found a source of Mass on the Internet or Television I hope it has been of spiritual and mental help for you and given you some “Wow!” moments. I hope we have our own WOW! moments when our masses here return to normal.
Thursday, May 13th, is Ascension Day. Fr.James McKarns writes about a tour he made to the Holy Land which included a visit to the Mount of Olives from where Jesus had ascended. He commented that the whole party did notice the hilly surroundings, but most just gazed at the sky and the clouds trying to picture for themselves what must have been a truly Wow! moment for those who actually witnessed it. The Psalm for Ascension Day each year starts with this “Wow!” response:
“God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.”
A lady called Lydia Lopokova wrote: “When I am on the Sussex Downs in the morning I feel that I am having a cocktail with God.” – a real Wow! encounter!