Rachel Held Evans said, “God needed women for survival. Before Jesus fed us with the bread and wine, the body and the blood, Jesus himself needed to be fed, by a woman. He needed a woman to say, ‘This is my body, given for you.’”
Lent has always been a baptismal season, for example, we are reminded to pray for those who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil. But it is also a season to remember that we continue to live our baptismal promises made long ago. Conversion is on-going; deepening our faith is a perennial project, a daily task. That’s true for the catechumens and just as true for us who were baptized as infants. At baptism we heard “Receive the light of Christ.” Have we kept the flame burning? Are we lights leading the way to Christ? Are we living our baptismal commitment? Good questions for Lenten meditations.
Feeling separated from others is an emotion and thought that can consume us. But we need to keep remembering that we are in communion. Even when we feel that we are not part of a community (church, employment, neighborhood, relationships), we are still in communion. There is no way not to be in communion. Communion is the way of our universe. Communion is the way of our God. We are never a branch cut off from the vine. We are one body, the Body of Christ. Whether we realize it or not, the prayers and actions—even just the existence—of others impact us. In the same way, whatever we do, whatever we are, links us to the human family. Spend a few moments today enjoying the presence of your millions of unseen brothers and sisters.
Have you made your Lenten resolutions? Perhaps you are considering extra prayer and sacrifices of self-denial. Wonderful! But make sure the extra prayer and penance aren’t just for us ourselves. Lent is not a self-improvement challenge. Rather much in Lent is an urgent life-or-death call to community, to systemic conversion. Giving up desserts is personal and good. But do we pay a bit extra to buy produce from farmers who use methods that protect the planet’s ecosystem? Are we donating to organizations that provide clean water? Limiting favorite recreational activities is personal and good. But do we give the equivalent time to service—maybe teaching a youngster your athletic skill or baking desserts for a hospitality kitchen, or gathering the neighborhood to help a particular neighbor in need, or studying a political or social issue? We have forty days to choose best practices for the whole human community, not just for ourselves.
You sing well. “Oh, you can’t mean me! I can’t carry a tune.” God gives each of us the voice we’re meant to give back in worship. “When we sing God’s praise together, the God who is absolute love is incapable of hearing anything except voices returning that love” (A. Hommerding). Still skeptical? “God is always listening in love, and that when our voices unite, the divine ears hear nothing but loveliness.” Some voices lend themselves to specialized ministries. But each voice, whether from the pew or the choir section, comes from within the one voice of the one Body offering the one sacrifice of praise.
I like to locate references to “love” in the Bible on Valentine’s Day. According to Nelson’s Complete Concordance of the New American Bible the word “love” is used 377 times, to say nothing of derivatives like “loved” or “loves” or “loving.” The first quotation tells of Abraham’s love for his son Isaac. Number 200 affirms the love in the Trinity when Jesus tells his disciples at the Last Supper “the world must know that I love the Father.” In number 300 Paul admonishes Timothy to be “a continuing example of love.” Need a Valentine card? Let the Bible be your Hallmark or Dayspring. Discover a meaningful Biblical reference and send it to your loved ones. And don’t forget to let God send you a Valentine from his inspired Word.
Got your answer? Here it is. The congregation. Yes, the assembly is the most important minister, an assembly of all ministers whether they have a title like lector or not. How does the assembly minister? They listen to the Word, they sing and respond, they offer praise, they become the Body of Christ that they consume, they provide hospitality, they offer the Sacrifice of the Mass with the priest, they become missionaries when they leave the church building. In effect, they do what the priest, lector, altar service, greeter, and cantor do. By your baptism you are an integral part of the liturgy. It’s your right and duty to participate. The parish church couldn’t do it without you.
Someday I might visit some of the 18 countries where there are Sisters of Notre Dame. When there I might describe what it is like to be an SND.
Well, right off the bat, I’d say I love to be a Sister. Although not everything is my cup of tea, I appreciate our focus on prayer and ministry. Note: it’s not prayer or ministry. In our life, we can have our cake and eat it, too, because prayer and ministry go hand in hand. When I prayerfully do the work of the Lord, I’m killing two birds with one stone.
What is my ministry? Well, I have my work cut out for me. I am a church musician, so my weekends are spent playing piano. Unfortunately, I don’t play by ear, so I need to practice frequently. During the week I am support staff at Urbanski Life Celebration Home. “Do Sisters really work in funeral homes?” you ask. Well, you took the words right out of my mouth, because I was just going to say that greeting people in a funeral home and assisting with prayer services are works of mercy. Whether teachers, social workers, nurses, cooks, or administrators, we’re all in the same boat. We listen to what God wants us to do.
What about life in community? Well, birds of a feather flock together, meaning we have similar mindsets when it comes to what we do and how we do it. But we’re not forced into uniformity. We enjoy our own hobbies, for example. You might like playing Yahtzee, but for me that game is for the birds. But without spilling the beans, I admit community life can have its irritations when we rub elbows, especially when we can’t get outside because it’s raining cats and dogs.
How do I live my vow of poverty? It can be a wild goose chase trying to find the perfect way to live poverty, but I’ve heard straight from the horse’s mouth that poverty means placing God above all things and we live simply so that others can simply live. I guess that hits the nail on the head.
When I entered the community, I had to hold my horses. I was ready to take on anything for God, but some things had to wait for more maturity and more formation. I just took a rain check.
Well, this is getting long, so I think I’ll call it a day and head to Lily White’s party. By the way, do you think my speech will translate well?
When someone is sad, I may write to them, hoping to alleviate some of their pain or nudge them into another stage of dealing with their grief. Recently I read what Saint Thomas Aquinas gave as a remedy for sorrow: “Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath, and a glass of wine.” As one of the most intelligent saints in Church history, I wouldn’t doubt Thomas Aquinas’ advice. Yet I doubt that I’d pass it on.
Last night my dinner was a big bowl of French onion soup. When I got up today, I said “good morning.” But I expected “Bonjour!” When receiving Holy Communion, we become what we eat—the Body of Christ. How is it that through the course of the day my words do not always sound like the words Christ would have spoken? How is it that my actions do not resemble those of Christ as recorded in the gospels?