Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 18 March 2024

Had a very wonderful impromptu get together this Sunday with two former students from our girls’ high school in Malolos. But more than having a blast from 25 years we have known one another because Karen had been my student since her elementary school way back in 1998, it was for me a wonderful reconnection as Kweenie noted on our way home after our long lunch.

Reconnection.

The word remained in my mind last night until today as I began my annual personal retreat just before my 59th birthday on Friday. When Karen brought up the idea of having lunch just to see each other, I felt it was more than a coincidence but part of God’s plan for my retreat, which is essentially, a reconnection of the highest order.

And here are my random thoughts on reconnecting before my vacation with the Lord starts tonight.

Connect.
From the Latin words, "con" for "with"
and "nectere" or "to bind",
to connect is to bind together;
to fuse, to make as one.
To unite.
Opposite of being connected 
is to be separated.
To be alone.
To be apart.

God designed nature to be connected:
animal species gather together
as herds and schools and flocks
everywhere while flowers bloom
facing the sun and other plants
as twigs and vines extend so that they
cover everything while trees though
standing apart reach out to other
trees with their tops always bending
towards another tree.

How unfortunate 
that we humans 
who were ironically
the only ones created in God's
"image and likeness"
are the ones who tend to separate
always 
from God and one another -
beginning with one's self;
many times in our many "connections"
when we spread ourselves so much
as being scattered,
we get disconnected with 
self,
others,
and God.

Wherever there is disconnection,
there is also sin when connections 
are severed,
cut-off, and destroyed.

God is the most vital of all
of our connections; He is in fact
THE connection because 
He is our life;
to be separated from Him
means sickness or death,
even damnation as in hell;
that is why Jesus came 
so that we may reconnect
with God, 
with self,
and with others.

To be connected,
to reconnect is to be whole
again;
getting connected
happens when there is
acceptance of being separated,
when we are humble enough
to say sorry with those
connections we have
abused or taken for granted,
neglected and rejected;
reconnection happens
when we realize that
everything -
time,
place,
people,
and God
are interconnected
as one
big whole
that no matter how small
we may be in this vast universe,
we matter.
That's when we find
meaning and purpose
and direction;
 not far from that,
we find and experience
fullness
amid the
many brokenness.

Lord Jesus,
keep me connected
with you,
with others,
and with my very self.
Amen.