Prodigal Daughter

So those of you who have been reading my blog know that part of my morning prayer routine/ritual has been practicing/praying Lectio Divina. What I love most about it is the visuals that come to mind as I meditate and pray. The other day I finished my old list of scripture passages and received a new one from my priest and spiritual director. Well the first passage on the list was the parable of The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). I slightly groaned to myself for I believe several months ago I had already “lectio-divina-ed” this passage… but as with any scripture… every time you read it (meditate on it) you read it with fresh eyes and a new perspective, because you are not only in a different place in your faith journey when you read it again, but you always get something new and different out of scripture if your heart is open.

So the first read through (yesterday) I stopped and meditated on, “While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him…” Luke 15:20. And I thought to myself, when was it that I first turned and started back to God the Father? When did He “catch sight” of me turning back to him? At what exact, specific moment in my life did I turn? Hm. Well, as you know, if you have been paying attention to my past blogs, the major catalyst that brought me back to the faith was the movie “The Passion of the Christ.”
But the “moment” I turned back wasn’t when I was IN the movie theater, it was afterwards, that drive home in the minivan. That moment when it all-of-a-sudden hit me and I was overcome with emotion and … I broke down and sobbed … and I did not know why. That moment. It was then that I started to turn back to God. That 39 year old mom in her minivan … weeping.
Now I did not go back to my faith that day, or the next, or even that week. It took four months before I finally decided to go back to the Catholic Church and it took years of searching and learning to bring me to this place I am now (this amazing, wild journey!). But that minivan moment is the beginning… the Prodigal Daughter moment for me.
Now they say that when someone repents and turns back to God angels rejoice… which is actually in the parables before The Prodigal Son: The Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin, “there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15: 10. Cool. Angels rejoicing! So you know me, the visual chic who SEES everything… or has to see everything to make head or tails of it.

So my visual: there I am in the minivan, Spring of 2004, weeping because something HUGE and GOD inspired hit me like a 2X4 upside the head… and God senses me turning back to Him (and you know He smiles!)… and then the angels converge … oh those awesome angels… are all around my minivan~ fluttering, flying, dancing, singing, shouting~ REJOICING! Ha! And I laugh because I can picture myself… completely oblivious and confused over why I was crying… and again… the angels hooting and a hollering and singing and flying crazy, laughing circles about the minivan … rejoicing over me … hahahaha
wow. Too cool.
Man I love my Lectio Divina visuals.