“Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” ~ James 5:16
October 19,2023
This morning we visited the Monastery of St. Jerome in Belem near place where the explorers set out for the far away places like Africa, India, and Brazil in the 1400’s. They believed the ocean was full of monsters. They stopped at the monastery to make what may get be their final confession. With gale force winds up to 70 mph, waves and rain blowing in off the Atlantic Ocean this morning it was easy to imagine the fear even the bravest felt as they set off.
I was reminded of taking off for the Philippines in February, 2020. We didn’t yet know that a month later COVID would shut down travel and infect 771,191,203 people. I did a lot of confessing on that flight, confessing that I needed God to guide me, to help me make the right connections, to not get lost, to keep me healthy, to listen to and guide the women I’d be ministering to, to protect my family and friends.
The explorers confessed to monks who heard their words through doors like the one below. There was no such door on the airplane, just me talking to God in my thoughts. That didn’t matter. Facing my truth with God gave me peace throughout that journey, and an awareness of all the angels in human skin who helped me along the way.
Try it when you venture into something scary. It is healing. ~ Anne
A door for confession at the monastery.
Wayfinding 