SILVER LININGS
Don’t you just hate it when someone says every cloud has a silver lining? Well, not if it’s a rainstorm and you don’t have a waterproof jacket! Here you are going through some sort for trauma and some smart alec is telling you, “all will be well.” This suffering you are enduring is for your own good. You can’t see it now, but be assured it’s coming.
When John Milton penned the words which brought this saying to modern English, he actually said: “Was I deceived or did a sable cloud Turn forth her silver lining on the night?”. The sentence sounds like more of a question than a statement.
Nevertheless, we can see the truth held within this comment. We know that suffering almost always causes us to reflect, and when we reflect, particularly in times of personal pain, anguish, or worry, we turn to God. When we turn to God, we find meaning, and when we find meaning instead of the instant pity party, we find solace. And then, unexpectedly, we see the silver lining; the message which God is giving us indirectly. Our suffering or difficulties are shared; we involve God in the decisions and our reactions. We move from an ego-based decision and action to one of discernment. And discernment is merely involving God in the decision-making process.
Perhaps nowhere in the Christian tradition is this more explicit in the Jesuit Spiritual Exercises. A giant version of examination of conscience, we perform a veritable Divine analysis of our own lives and the actions therein.
A much smaller, and faster process is to use a petite version of the Examin in search of the silver lining. The lining sometimes appears whilst lost in the darkness of our own self-pity or sorrow. Here, at the foot of the Cross, we suddenly realize we are not alone. (Matthew 28:20) We suddenly realize He is with us, and with us always. Here, maybe the only silver lining we need. Loneliness is gone. Peace fulfilled. We have the one who loves us beyond love, watching over us, and all that happens to us.
Perhaps it is here that the silver lining resides. Not in a found place or event, but in the realization that Christ Jesus was with us all along.
Silver Linings
The world of this dark cloud speaks feelings normally saved for an analyst’s couch.
Lost,
Hurting,
Disorientated,
Alone,
Sad,
Separated.
The sadness is overwhelming,
And time seems to be still as the dead air which surrounds,
This almost broken heart.
The voice from the peanut gallery shouts,
“Every cloud has a silver lining”
Written by Pollyanna on an optimistic day,
My heart thuds with a hard landing response.
Sparks of anger fizzle out,
As I move back into the darkness.
Which remains,
As I do.
Until a veil is lifted,
From these scaly eyes,
Revealing a silent presence from within.
Which is with me always*.
*Matthew 28:20
Reflection, poem and image Copyright 2024 Michael J. Cunningham OFS