Who am I? Who are You?

Written by Carolyn Burns on Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Lent is journey of forty days in the church’s calendar. For some of us, however, the journey in the desert lasts longer than forty days. Moses wandered for forty years and only saw the Promised Land from a mountain top. For the past few years I have felt and understand that sense of wandering. For most of us deserts are more than just sand. What we long for is a place of more than milk and honey. We crave authentic connection with others- with something beyond ourselves.

As my life has progressed and those I have loved and cared for have gone and relationships have fallen away, I ask myself who am I if I cannot see myself in those whom I have loved and spent my life with? My son died when he was twenty. I lost my job in the great recession of 2008. One building block after another has crumbled, leading me to question my very identity. Who am I if the foundation on which I built my life is fragmented?

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is trying to communicate who He is to those about him with what seems like only partial success. So often I have felt that same difficulty communicating who I am, how I got here and why, trying to share experiences with words that fail. For those of us stumbling around trying to convey where we have been and what we have seen, the words of Jesus “He who has sent me is trustworthy. . . He has not left me alone” offer solace and hope. The people listening to Jesus are confused by his words, by who he is, and yet Jesus offers them consolation. In the end we are not alone and can depend on the Father. Lent gives way to Easter morning.

Lord, as I yearn for others to understand who I am, I ask for help in listening to other people as they speak of their backgrounds and what they have seen and heard. Give me the patience to listen with mercy, kindness and generosity so I can begin to understand them more deeply. And help me to see you reflected in their lives so I may know who you are as well.

Questions for Reflection
How would I answer the question put to Jesus? Who am I? What are the elements that make up my identity?
Do I listen closely to other people when they share their stories, or just wait for my turn to speak?
Am I trying to get to know who Jesus is and understand him at a deeper level?
Amid the confusion of life, is my faith with the Father?

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Carolyn Burns
Carolyn came to Ann Arbor for graduate school over thirty years ago and stayed. She has degrees from NYU, Bank St College of Education and the University of Michigan. She has been a teacher for many years, beginning with preschool children in New York City and then college students throughout southeastern Michigan. Her area is psychology with a focus on child development. She was a member of St Mary’s in the early 1980’s and has recently returned to the parish where she is involved in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.
Email: cmeburns07@gmail.com