A Long and Faithful Life

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah. 8 Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.

My father’s mother taught me by example what it means ‘to be still and know that I am God.’ She was raised Catholic but joined the Episcopalian church when she married my grandfather. For years, until she was in her 80’s, my grandmother would begin and end every day with an hour’s prayer. The Catholic Rosary’s words were ingrained in her: Blessed Mary, mother of Jesus, have mercy on me.... (This devotional is not about the theological rightness or wrongness of the Catholic prayers. I am sure most of us would agree that Mother Teresa will be seated closer to God than any of us.)

My grandmother had a heart attack when she was 89. We did not know whether she would survive as she lay in a coma. I decided to drive the six hours to Washington, DC, to spend a weekend with my father. We visited the hospital that Saturday. As we walked into the hospital room, my grandmother was mumbling. As I bent forward to kiss her cheek, I heard the words I had not heard from her mouth in several years: ‘Blessed Mary, mother of Jesus, have mercy on me....’ I smiled and immediately doubted words of prayer would be coming from my mouth if I was the one unconsciously murmuring words.

My grandmother died at the age of 91. I remember her preparing huge Sunday dinners, her taking me and my brother to the zoo, and the city sounds outside her apartment. But most of all I remember her devotion to her prayers. She was buried with her prayer book and rosary beads in her hands. She lived a long and faithful life.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day....


A Faithful Response: Visit/call/e-mail your grandmother if she is still alive.