Valley of Bones

And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act," says the Lord. – Ezekiel 37

Beloved in Christ, we find ourselves now in the Fifth Week of Lent, yet Holy Week, much like the warmer climes of spring, looms just in the distance. Holy Week is coming; Eastertide is near.

And Eastertide means that the graves of our hearts shall indeed be opened to the Living Spirit of God! And make no mistakes, some places in our lives need to be raised again and to be filled once more with the Spirit of the Living God.

I feel the need to be painfully straightforward: what is it in your life that has died? Have you forgotten the joy of your salvation; have your experiences left you smack dab in the centre of Ezekiel’s valley of the dry bones? More importantly, I must ask you whether or not you can hear Jesus calling you to new life? Be ye sure–He is calling us; are we listening intently?

One tragedy of our day is the fact that many people have completely given up hope. And this is because they’ve given up hope in themselves, which is misplaced hope from the word go. Because of this, many have succumbed to guilt and a myopic world view. Our hope, dear ones, is the sure and certain hope that is ours in Christ Jesus and is found not in ourselves.

If you’ve spent too much time in the valley of the dry bones, hear this: there is absolutely nothing that can sever God’s love. There is nothing that can temper His zeal for us. There is nothing–neither on heaven or on earth or under the earth–that can separate us from God’s affection. There is nothing that we can do to drive a permanent wedge between ourselves and our Redeemer.

This, of course, is the timeless message of redemption entrusted to the Church and actualised in the holy Sacraments, most especially the Sacrament of our Lord’s most blessed Body and Blood.

When we encounter the Numinous One in the Mass, we, like Lazarus, encounter the True Vine and life-giver, who is Jesus Christ. For in the Eucharistic Feast, Christ gives Himself to us, and, in a clear voices, says ‘Lazarus, come out’! In that instant, the space between heaven and earth is abridged, the foretaste of the heavenly banquet becomes reality and–again like Lazarus–we are unbound and set free. Upon tasting of the richness that is ours in the Mass, we are left only to sweetly sing those precious alleluias. Yes, even in Lent our heart can sing its joyful song! ‘With him there is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins’ saith the Psalmist.

I’m saying that Christ is raising us to new life–right now in the midst of this Lent. But He’s not raising us so that we may simply be raised for raising’s sake. No, God offers us Lent so that what is totally dried up and dead, that is, what is in the grave, may, through the grace of Christ, be transformed into His image and likeness.

And not only can God turn our dried bones into life-giving and Spirit-filled souls, but you, too, can take your leftover bones from chickens, pork chops, etc. and make something incredibly succulent from them. I’m talking about making a good chicken stock for use in soups and sauces. I don’t boil anything in plain water; I always use at least some stock to impart flavour.

May both the bones of your soul and the bones of your kitchen be transformed!

Easy Chicken Stock

Ingredients

4 pounds chicken carcasses, including necks and backs (you can freeze and save till you have 4lbs.)
2 large onions, quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2
4 ribs celery, cut in 1/2
1 leek, white part only, cut in 1/2 lengthwise (optional)
10 sprigs fresh thyme
10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
2 bay leaves
8 to 10 peppercorns
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 gallons cold water

Directions

Place chicken, vegetables, and herbs and spices in 12-quart stockpot. Set opened steamer basket directly on ingredients in pot and pour over water. Cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles break through the surface of the liquid. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours.

Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids. Cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. Use as a base for soups and sauces.