God's Presence in the midst of (COVID-19) Exile

Monday night, the Governor of my home-state issued the "Stay home - Stay safe" order, calling all (apart from essential workers) to shelter at home.

Wednesday - March 25 - the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Annunciation!

Today is Thursday.

The day before the "stay home" order was given was Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. This is a special day in this liturgical season of repentance where the vestments are "rose" instead of violet, like the last burst of color from the setting sun before it dips below the horizon. After next Sunday, the Fifth Sunday of Lent the statues are traditionally veiled in the church as the final Lenten "hunkering down" and shock to the senses before Holy Week begins.

Many have reflected how this pandemic has put the world in Lent.
This week, my State and governments throughout the world is beginning to realize what it means to "hunker down" as we globally and locally seek to flatten the curve of this virus.

I find it amusing how so many directives globally are following the liturgical calendar.
God's hand truly is everywhere, and I don't believe the timing of all this is hap-hazard at all!

Being placed in a societal shut-down as a form of quarantine, cloistering and essentially an exile where we long for what we took for granted even last week or last month, I've been reminded of the people of Israel.

Being strangers in strange lands, their exit from Egypt and subsequent journey to the Promised Land is recalled every year at Passover. That God delivered them from slavery and provided for their safety and nourishment is the basis for the desert hospitality they would then be commanded to extend to the foreigner encountered in their nomadic life. God traveled with them in the Ark, his Spirit descending upon the Tent of Meeting and ultimately inhabiting the Temple built by King Solomon. The Temple was everything to them, key to their faith because it was THERE that God dwelt, and when it was destroyed, even living in the holy city, they were / they are in exile.

Prophets were sent by God with the same message to both the Israelites and pagan lands of Salvation History - Repent!

Return to Lord!

Many heeded the call and learned that the exterior exile only reflected the interior exile of sin's desert that keeps us from dwelling with God. Many did not heed. Many heeded and then forgot. Which are we?

Sometimes we need our longing to increase so that we can truly embrace and value that which is away from us … or in the case of our relationship with God, longing for the One we have turned away from through our sin. This is the mystery of the expulsion from Eden and the core of why and how the mystery of the Incarnation, and the Paschal Mystery of Jesus' crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension reveals God's Divine Mercy!

It is why and how the Church can exclaim in the Easter Vigil Exsultet:

O truly necessary sin of Adam, 

destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! 

O happy fault, 

that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!

In the biblical books of Maccabees and Ezekiel we learn that Ezekiel saw the Glory of God leave the Temple (Ezek. 10:3-5) and the Ark built by Moses was hidden by Jeremiah (2 Macc. 2:1-18) before Temple was destroyed in 587/6 BC. Even though the temple was subsequently rebuilt in 516 BC (the same which was later destroyed in 70 AD), the Glory of the Lord did not again descend to earth until the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary as she became the Ark of the New Covenant at the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) which we celebrated yesterday. Visible to the people as they sojourned through the desert, God's glory remained hidden from the people from the time of the Babylonian Exile until it shone around the shepherds at the angels announcement of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:8-20).

The great news is that this Good News still rings true today!!
God has come, in the midst of our sin, to save us from our sin so to bring us to life everlasting.

While churches remain open for private prayer, our physical access to Church as we've come to love, cherish or even take for granted is currently "lost."

Yet, in and with and through the Paschal Mystery, we are NEVER alone!

We have our home in Christ as his Bride - as members of his mystical body.

Like the phrase:
        "where goes the Head" (Christ's Ascension),
              "so goes the Body" (the final Resurrection of the Dead)!

God has neither left us nor abandoned us! This is GREAT NEWS!!

We are still living Salvation's Story.

The truth is, we've been in exile since the first sin expelled Adam and Eve from Paradise.

We're feeling the effects of sin and our expulsion from the fullness of life in a way never so globally tangible since perhaps the Great Flood or the Tower of Babel, but as Jesus expresses in the Parables, the Kingdom of God is near at hand … NOW is the time to make sure our lamps are filled with oil to spare - not hoarding our spiritual wealth to ourselves (as we do toilet paper!) but being prudent, attentive … in a word AWAKE so to awaken and alert others to likewise prepare for the long night ahead, anticipating the wedding feast that awaits us all at the end of days when Christ returns.

And as we awaken to the Light of Christ - the Glory of the Lord in our midst - let us allow Christ's light to shine in and through us through spiritual and corporal acts of mercy - the tangible means by which we are called to proclaim the Good News of God's mercy and love to all. The tangible ways we are called to be Church in the world. Let it be said of us as Tertullian reflected on the early Church "see how they love one other".

As we turn to our neighbor in thought and prayer (remember that we're social distancing and sheltering at home!), ask the Lord to awaken the areas that have grown sleepy or dormant, so that as we're called to respond - both within this crisis and after the immediate threat is gone and the corona-virus becomes a memory in the history books - we will be ready to follow Jesus wherever and however he leads us.

Please pray fervently for the quick containment and rapid cessation of this virus.
Pray for those who are suffering - physically, emotionally, spiritually, economically because of this pandemic.
Pray for those working at the front-lines: medical personnel and other essential workers, and especially our pastors.

Our Lady of Seattle, Untier of Knots, Pray for us.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us.

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth as a fountain of mercy for us - Jesus - I trust in you.

Easter Sunday

The Lord is Risen.  Alleluia!!

We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and [in] Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
Acts 10:39

These words of St. Peter boldly proclaim "Resurrection! Resurrection!". Not words one would expect so soon after the brutal execution of their leader - were it not through the strength of the Holy Spirit and that it was true.

Thus ends the Lenten 40-day challenge my friend Chris encouraged me to participate in all these many weeks ago.

It has been a joy to share favorite and daily scripture with you. It has given me cause to stop and reflect on God's infinite Grace and Mercy - which I need to immerse myself in daily.

Now begins the 50 days of Easter.  I pray that the Risen Lord will enlighten your hearts and lives so that you might put into word and action that which has been given to you - both by revelation through the scripture and the teaching passed down from generation to generation.

In the Joy of Christ,
Kristen

Holy Saturday (Lent - Day 40)

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.  So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”  So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.  They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the disciples returned home. But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
John 20:1-4a, 6-7, 10-11a

Waiting.

Today is the last day of Lent.

The liturgical season of the Triduum draws to a close at the Vigil, which, here in the PNW, begins in a little over an hour - at sundown.

There is lots to do in the preparation for this celebration. Lots of running around. I am struck by how much running there is in this Gospel reading too: Mary running to the disciples to proclaim with worry the empty tomb; Peter and John running to see for themselves.

All three stop though. Take it all in, even if they don't understand it. And wait.

Today we had a retreat with those in RCIA who are coming into the church through Baptism or Profession of Faith, Confirmation and then joining the community in the celebration of the Eucharist. What a treasured time it is to spend with them as they, with Joy, wait for the fullness of the celebration that is to come. Their Yes to Jesus!

The building we met for the retreat was the same that is housing Jesus in the Altar of Repose. I was working in the kitchen after the retreat was over, and a confirmandi came in looking for her coat. I could not see, but heard the door open and then the greeting "Hello Jesus"!

What Joy!!

Good Friday (Lent - Day 39)

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may [come to] believe.
John 19:33-35

Isn't it amazing that it is in this scene that John names himself "present" in the writing of the Gospel? Until this point, he refers to himself in the third person as "the Beloved Disciple".

I was with middle-schoolers one Sunday in Advent during Religious Ed classes and we started looking at John's Gospel. One of them spoke how he had a hard time with the Gospel of John because "John is just full of himself. Calling himself "beloved" and all. What makes him so special?" A good point was raised. But it misses the boat.

What I explained to the students, was the amazing gift that happens by John's naming himself as "the Beloved Disciple" is revealing all of our belovedness and not calling attention to himself. His writing, instead of excluding, actually includes us in the Gospel narrative.

That he would choose this moment though, to say "I was there" is pretty amazing. Because Jesus has died. John was there at the Transfiguration, the feeding of the 5,000 let alone any other miracle or amazing point of Jesus' life and ministry! Yet in the midst of all that, he chooses this point *after* Jesus has died to say "This is really happened!" .... but what the "this" John is referring too?

That was the question Mark Shea (author and blogger) asked, wrote a book then gave a talk at my church titled "Making Senses out of Scripture" (I recommend reading it!!). I love what he discovered and shared.

Mark Shea spoke about the significance of the scene, likening Jesus with Adam.  How Adam went into a deep sleep and then from his side, God made his wife, who was later named Eve. Through our first parents, life was given, but so was death as sin entered humanity.

In Jesus, what had gone wrong, is made new and set straight. Like Adam, Jesus also went into a deep sleep. Death. His side was likewise opened. Why? This is the moment John exclaims with excitement. It was because John was witnessing the birth of the Bride of Christ - the Church! The Church was already established by Christ with the giving of the keys of the kingdom to Peter. Peter was to be left as Master of the Palace, but it wasn't until the blood and water flowed from Jesus' side that the Church as the Bride of Christ was "born". 

John, writing to the Church who was loosing the last of the eye-witnesses who knew Jesus ... the Church who was suffering persecution and perhaps struggling against loosing hope ... John was writing to her, reminding her that she is indeed Beloved of God, and to stand firm. Hold onto the teachings and keep spreading the Good News.

What John wrote almost 2000 years ago holds true for us today. His testimony still holds true, and we are beloved. When we were truly at our worst, God was at his best, and loved us to the very end, swallowing up our sin so that its grasp on us could be severed. FOREVER!!

Holy Thursday (Lent - Day 38)

Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.”  And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.
Luke 22:19-20

I just returned from our Holy Thursday Mass which marks the beginning of the Triduum. Every year, something strikes me anew. This year, it was noticing the tabernacle behind the altar.

Typically, after the consecration of the bread and wine, any extra consecrated hosts are removed from the tabernacle and distributed among the faithful at communion. When this happens, the tabernacle is opened for the moment it is needed to be opened, but then closed again.

Tonight, as the extra-ordinary ministers of the Eucharist left the sanctuary to meet the congregation, the tabernacle door was left open: Wide open. With nothing remaining within. Every last bit of consecrated host was among the people.

It reminded me of the first verse of today's Gospel reading: "Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end." (John 13:1)

Tonight, after communion, the remaining consecrated hosts were gathered and then carried under a canopy to the Altar of Repose in the building across the street from the church, where we were invited to remain in prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. This "journey" is akin to Jesus' going out to the garden of Gethsemane. As this happens, the awareness of Jesus "leaving the building" and the magnetic desire in me to follow Him is huge, even though my heart is heavy, for I know what is about to happen.

Tonight, I found myself praying that I might have the grace to learn from Mary who continued to love and trust deeply although her heart was pierced. That my faith, hope and love will grow. 

Tonight Jesus' love has struck me anew: so extravagant, so thorough, so complete. That the sacrifice on the cross began THIS night. God's love outpoured completely. Thoroughly. Extravagantly. Knowing all that we would do to Him, he entered our darkness so that we might have life.

This Blessed Night.

This Holy Thursday.

.

Wednesday of Holy Week (Lent - Day 37)

The Lord GOD opened my ear;
I did not refuse,
did not turn away.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who tore out my beard;
My face I did not hide
from insults and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
Therefore I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
Isaiah 50:5-7

Today is Wednesday of Holy Week. That means tomorrow begins the Triduum - the one service that spans three days.

I love the Triduum. It is, by far, my most favorite time of the year. Beginning Holy Thursday, it continues through Good Friday and ends with the celebration at the Easter Vigil Saturday night. It reminds me of a quote I heard last summer and have come to love: When we were at our worst, God was at His best.

As a disciple of Jesus, being at the foot of the cross is where I most long to be. Yet it is also the place from which I most strongly desire to run. It is not comfortable, and stirs up within me that which I wish would "just go away". The cross reminds me that that's not the way it works with God's grace and healing, and the season of Lent helps me prepare for this again, and again. Year after year.

It is hard to believe that Holy Week is almost finished and Easter is around the corner. Today, many dedicated and hard-working souls came to clean the church and help get it ready for the Easter celebration. The work was indeed hard - places cleaned before lunch were re-cleaned after because it was only the first layer of grime that was taken off. But the result is amazing!

I am reminded of all these things in the above passage from today's Old Testament reading.  Discipleship-living is not easy. There are things in my life that I'm "okay" with being "just as they are" yet unless they are attended to, acquire layer after layer of dirt and grime, when they are meant to be a source of wonder, pointing to God's amazing Grace and gift of Life! 

And so today, facing tomorrow, am given hope and courage; and the reminder to keep listening to God's leading so that I too might be able to face the darkness around and even within me without fear. Knowing that God is my help and my strength.

Tuesday of Holy Week (Lent - Day 36)

Tuesday of Holy Week (Lent - Day 36)

For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
Psalm 71:5-6

To know that our hope and trust is in God is a humbling thing. To recognize that it is not by my own strength, or the strength of those around me that sustain and nourish me, is not easily acknowledged. A child growing in its mother's womb does need the mother's strength and wisdom to live. We do need one another. And God has given us gifts and talents, abilities and interests in order to contribute to the fullness of life: ours and others.

But even so, it all stems from Him.

The words of Divine Mercy ring true, and are such a gift:
Jesus, I trust in you.