A meditation on the last words of Steve Jobs, a modern hymn and All Saints.
in November the liturgical western catholic traditions remember saints and sinner/saints.
Steve Jobs, inventor, entrepreneur and as the Vatican newspaper called him "Mr. Apple" passed from this life a few weeks ago and the press has been full of the details of his last days and hours. In the New York Times his sister recounts his last words as he looked at his wife and children to be "Oh Wow, Oh Wow, Oh Wow". Mr. Jobs life was not very long but it was certainly full. His faith journey was to put it honestly complicated. Raised a Lutheran he left his church at the age of twelve when his pastor could not adequately answer his question "If God sees the suffering of people why doesn't he do something about it " Like many of his and my generation he went to India to study Hinduism and later Zen Buddhism, but never fully embraced either. A friend said he loved the aesthetic of Buddhism but never got to the compassion part.
Borning Cry by John Ylvisaker
"I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.
I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
In a blaze of light you wandered off
to find where demons dwell."
Steve Jobs last words and this baptismal hymn by Lutheran composer John Ylvisaker have been haunting me for the past few weeks, they seem to me to be the same story. "In a blaze of light you wandered off to find where demons dwell" A baptized child of God wanders off, looses his faith, searches high and low but God never said "goodbye Steve". Be Patient God Isn't Finished With Me Yet is not just a cute bumper sticker it's true.
"When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;
You were raised to praise the living Lord,
to whom you now belong.
If you find someone to share your time
and you join your hearts as one,
I'll be there to make your verses rhyme
from dusk 'till rising sun."
As far as we can tell Steve never fully heard or grasped the wonder of Word. Well meaning Christians can be obsticles to that happening but surely God homors the search. From all we can tell the Job's marriage was as good as they come and their children brought them joy.
Now don't get me wrong this guy was no plaster saint, "Prickly" discribes him well just ask Bill Gates or President Obama not to mention all people who worked with him.
BUT ! It' s the final verse of the hymn that moves me profoundly.
In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I'll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I've begun.
When the evening gently closes in,
and you shut your weary eyes,
I'll be there as I have always been
with just one more surprise."
"I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold."
God gets the last word. Just one more surprise " Oh Wow, Oh Wow, Oh Wow"
AMEN !!!
