Posted by Lisa Hendey looks back at her breast cancer surgery and radiation treatments two and a half years ago as having been physically arduous but spiritually beneficial. She came to realize that she was just “going through the motions” in her daily prayer life rather than connecting with Jesus on a deeper level, so she made some changes that reinvigorated her relationship with God and helped her to better see His presence in the people and world around her.
Lisa has now written a devotional to help others who might find themselves stagnating spiritually. It’s called, “Jesus Every Day, Jesus Every Way,” and we discussed it recently on “Christopher Closeup” (podcast below).
Lisa has always found God at “Mass, in church, and in sacred places,” but her time in radiation oncology centers led her to “see the world differently,” she said. “Encountering Christ in the everyday sacred is so much more present in my life now than it was.”
The process that helped Lisa do that is Lectio Divina, “which is Latin for ‘Divine Reading,'” she wrote. “[It] teaches seekers to come to know God’s word by praying over it methodically, purposefully, and slowly. In our world, so full of bustle and distraction, it can be tempting to turn to our devices to help us pray with the Bible. But the prayer process of Lectio Divina asks us to set this aside and turn both inward to the quiet of our hearts and outward toward the object of our affection: God.”
Lisa not only prayed over and meditated on a particular Scripture passage each morning, she printed out a copy of it and took it with her to reread during slow points in her day, like standing in line at the grocery store: “I found myself making those connections between what Jesus was saying to us or what was happening in His life…[with] those regular places of [my] life, in the front seat of my car, or at the hospital when I’m volunteering, or wherever I might be. Jesus is there with me.”
When Jesus’ parables are a part of Lisa’s daily divine reading, they provide extra food for thought because she is drawn to stories in general, be they on TV, in film, or in print. She highlights a quote from author Brandon Sanderson in her book which captures the appeal of stories: “The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”
That approach resonates with Lisa. She observed, “I think it’s effective because it meets people right where they are, which is certainly what Jesus did. He went out to the workplaces of fishermen. He met with sinners and saints along the way…And I think that’s what we’re called to do, too. Most of our sharing of our faith every day isn’t happening inside of a church building. It’s happening in our workplaces or our family homes or the places where we recreate with one another. I don’t want anybody who’s reading this book to think that I’m running around slapping people on the head with the Bible. But what I do want to be clear about in my faith journey is that I want to meet people right where they are, especially those people who are asking all the big questions about their faith life, because I’ve certainly done that myself. [I want] to be for them a listening presence, a presence that affirms them, a presence that [communicates] they are loved no matter where they are on asking those big questions or walking toward or away from Jesus. That’s what He calls us to do. And so, story – and the way we connect with one another’s stories – is a huge part of being that affirming, accompanying [person] that Jesus calls us to [be].”
Lisa shares numerous stories from her own life throughout “Jesus Every Day, Jesus Every Way,” including one about a trip she took to Colombia to observe the work of Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Lisa and the team of journalists she was with met a young woman named Maria, who had benefited from CRS’ annual Lenten appeal, Operation Rice Bowl.
“[Maria] received a scholarship to become a cupper,” Lisa explained. “It’s like a wine connoisseur, but for coffee. She and her family welcomed our traveling group of journalists and one priest, Father Rafael Capo…into their home for a beautiful breakfast one morning. That year, [Maria’s] picture was actually on the Rice Bowl box, so her story was being told and we brought those materials.”
Lisa noted that Maria’s family’s home was made mostly of tarps, but due to her job in agriculture – again, a result of her education through CRS donations – they would soon be able to build a brick wall. This was a point of pride for Maria, who expressed genuine thanks for the help she received.
“After the meal,” Lisa continued, “Maria came up to Father Rafael with the Rice Bowl box. On the side of it, she had written their family’s names. And inside of it were just a few simple coins. She gave it to [Father Rafael] and said, ‘Padre, we can’t give much, but we know what this has done for our family, and we want to help other families around the world just like ours. So please accept this gift. It’s not very much money, but it’s from the heart.’ Father Rafael…is a very big, burly, weightlifting priest…He was moved to tears that day, and I was, too…[Father Rafael said] ,’I’ll never preach again on the parable of the widow’s mite without thinking of this moment, where someone is giving not from their excess, but from what they need in their day-to-day life – and doing it with such love and such compassion for other people.’ You don’t see that and walk away not changed. It’s a really beautiful moment.”
Lisa’s spiritual perspective has not just expanded due to her travels and cancer experience, she has set specific goals to gain a better understanding of all God’s children. As a 62-year-old, one of those goals is making friends outside of her age range. She made this a goal after having lunch in Los Angeles with a young woman in her 20s.
“We were talking about all the big problems in our world and in our church and with the environment and so many other things,” Lisa recalled. “I remember sitting in awe listening to her. She was well-educated on this topic, and she had very strong feelings, and she wasn’t afraid to share those. And I remember thinking, ‘Thank You, God, for giving me this moment with her and giving me the wisdom to shut up and listen to her.’…And one great blessing of having younger people in my life – whether that’s people at church or people that I encounter along my daily path – they have truly a different way of seeing the world than I do. And the world is every bit as much theirs as it is mine. I feel that way about the Church, too. So often, older people all sit around and talk about, ‘How do we get young people to come back to Mass or whatever?’ Are we bringing them to the table? Are we letting them talk to us about what their needs are, the way that they see the world and our Church, the way that they encounter their faith in God? I think they have a lot to teach us. So I feel very blessed to have these opportunities to meet and be in conversation regularly with young people.”
The humility to listen to other viewpoints with an open mind and heart signifies the growth in Lisa’s relationship with Jesus which, she acknowledges, has changed in the last few years. After struggling with anxiety brought on by aging, personal health issues, and caregiving for her parents, Lisa has come to a better place emotionally and spiritually.
She concluded, “Increasingly, and especially through the work of this book, I have this over-abiding sense of peace these days. Not that I’m not going to have problems in my life – because we will have hardships in this life, as the Bible tells us – but that God has got me and that the worst possible scenario of what can happen on this earth is that my life comes to an end. I kind of long for those promises that we have of what comes in our next life, too – and having that sense that what I really want is Jesus in my life, to know and love Him deeply and to share that love with others. Sometimes that looks like explicitly talking about my faith. But more often with people who don’t share my faith, that means being all that He’s taught me to be in a very quiet, available way. I hope that I’m on the right path of where He’s sending me.”
(To listen to my full interview with Lisa Hendey, click on the podcast link):
RELATED: Lisa Hendey on Care for Creation, Her Breast Cancer Battle, and Praying a ‘Waiting Rosary’
Light One Candle - the blog of The Christophers 