Lenten Surprises

What are we learning these days of our Corona Virus Lent?

Facebook has all sorts of comical references to what it's like to have kids at home doing school work while mom and dad try to work at home too.

There are also plenty of references to who our real super heroes are today...health care professionals, teachers, grocery store employees, truckers, (I'd include sanitation workers too...can you imagine....??)

This morning when I was praying, I found myself thinking of and praying for our parish families and wondered how they were coping. So, I sent a note out to some of them, just to let them know I was thinking of them.

I was happily surprised by the responses I got. To a family, every one responded that they were enjoying the time that they had been given to spend together as a family. They were playing games, reading stories, cooking and baking...just absolutely reveling in enjoying their time together.  How great is that?? No snarky FB memes here...just really busy city families grateful for the chance to slow down and appreciate one another.

What a precious gift from God!
What's even better is that we are recognizing this time as a gift!

Sure, it's hard to slow down, and it's hard to stay inside and it's hard to not have every food item on hand that I might crave.

But it's lots of fun to pick a different part of my family each night and sit down in front of the computer at 5 pm and share a glass of wine or ice tea and chat about our days.

Fr Kelly will attest to the truth that a few weeks ago when we were mandated to stop hugging and shaking hands, I was having a really hard time with that. Deep down I think I was afraid that if we stopped greeting each other with that familial hug, we would forget how to do this before too long.

I'm not afraid of that anymore. I can see how we are all longing for community and looking forward to the days to come when be within 6 feet of one another again. I am moved by the ways in which we are looking out for one another and looking for ways to offer help and comfort. I am heartened by the awareness that by staying apart from each other, we are, in fact, showing great love and care for one another.

I've often wondered why in the gospel story of the raising of Lazarus, Jesus waited two days before making his way to Martha and Mary. Why didn't he go to them immediately?

I still don't know the answer to that, but I'm caught by the similarity of circumstance. Surely he wanted to be there, just as we long to be together today. There was a reason he stayed away. We know what our reasons are today.

Surprisingly enough, at least to me, the glory of God is being shown in the loving ways we are learning to be together, to help one another, to care for and pray for one another. I sense with every fiber of my being that this time apart will make us so much stronger when we come back together.

And for that I am so very grateful.

So, enjoy your family, your solitude, your spouse...
Enjoy the slower pace, the beautiful chaos of all sharing the same space...
Be patient and loving and kind with one another.
Take time to be by yourself when you can, even if the bathroom is the only private place in your apartment...
Bake cookies, eat salads, enjoy the taste of the meals you prepare.

Celebrate these days. For soon enough we will go back to our regularly over scheduled lives. I hope and pray that when that day comes, we will remember what we are learning now, about what is truly important, and hold on to the important with both hands.