FOOD FOR THOUGHT
(03/21/2010)
SHAMROCK
THEOLOGY
Cindy Hong
I
can't remember when or how it started. Perhaps it was living with a roommate
of Scotch-Irish descent. Perhaps it was from a dream one night what life
could've been like if I had been born Cindy O'Hong or Cynthia McHong.
Perhaps it was from reading multiple memoirs by Frank McCourt. Perhaps
it was from watching others celebrate St. Patrick's Day year after year,
wearing green, spending green on eating green and drinking green. Perhaps
it was all of the above or none of the above. Maybe the Irish just had
a different thread of Christianity that I wanted to know more about. And
so I learned about “thin places,” the places that connect us to God
and we can feel his presence. It's where heaven and earth become one,
evidence of the kingdom of God among us. For many Irish, their lush countryside
provides a “thin place” to see God in the beauty of creation. I see
it in children—when their eyes dance with delight, when their lips laugh
with glee, when they take your hand in theirs, when their feet run toward
you. As a sunshine addict, another thin place is beautiful weather. When
the skies are blue, the sun bright, clouds puffy, light breeze swirling
around, this is heaven on earth. Celtic Christians also celebrate community,
and that's a good reminder for Christians everywhere. I may look like
a fire hydrant, but I've been blessed to be part of a faith community,
blessed with family and friends. Gratitude to the Giver for such gifts
is the only proper response. The pilgrimage motif describes all of us,
this fusion of journey and place. Each of us may do well to ask and answer,
“Why did God bring us to Houston ? Why now? Why HCC?” This place is
part of our journey with him. In my journey, I've been a part of CBC,
CGC, RCCC, FCC, and now HCC. Why HCC? Interesting, right? It is in a place
that God does an interior formation in us—repentance, rebirth, greater
faith, holiness, and love. While I'm still not sure why everything is
green on St. Patrick's Day, the Celtic Christians challenge me to see
God in ways I haven't seen him before. And I'm all the richer for it.
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