Easter Vigil

Our daughter has a friend who is Catholic. Her friend has Virgin Mary posters, icons, and statues displayed around her room. Knowing about the practice of Easter vigil that most if not all Catholic parishes observe, I asked this friend if she ever attended. They have attended a few times, it turns out. She said she gets into the candles and the darkness of the vigil.

Will you do vigil in some way today as we await Easter morning? I think I will take up Parsons' suggestion to do a vigil walk this afternoon, trying to live in the moment without solving problems in my mind, enjoying the senses' discoveries.

And part of the Easter vigil is to baptize infants and others. Could we meditate today awhile on the words that were once spoken over us, "[Name], I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." What does it mean to you to live as a person who is named and claimed by none other than the God of the universe who raised Jesus from the dead?

Brian

Holy Saturday: Holy Shadow

How is it with your shadow side, as Carl Jung and Sarah Parsons talk about?

One of my understandings of Jung's work on shadow sides is that at middle age, about halfway through life, maybe around age 40, we humans often start working on our shadow side, letting it out more, bringing it to light. Up until middle age, we have accomplished many things and/or enjoyed life in the ways that our more obvious personality traits can bring to us. But at middle age, our shadow side clamors for attention. (This is not to say that we cannot bring our shadow side to light at an earlier age, for it is indeed part of who we are at any age.)

As I examine my shadow side, it is important for me to be in touch with anger. Anger can be destructive as we all know, but I also find that it puts me in touch with injustice, and it can help motivate me and give me passion for living and living the gospel (which to me are one and the same thing). Examining my shadow side has also put me much more in touch with wanting to be with family and friends (although as an introvert, I receive energy most from my internal life, so I cannot lose significant contact with such things as music, reading and prayer).

I appreciate Sarah Parson's encouragement to use Holy Saturday to bring our shadow sides out into the light of Christ. It takes courage and faith, but it is met by love, the deep love of our Savior. What corner of your life can you bring to Christ today and tomorrow?

Brian

Crucifixion: Holy Sacrifice

The idea of the spiritual life as a process of subtraction rather than addition (Meister Eckhart) is puzzling at first glance. I came into the church this morning with a plate of ministry full to overflowing, then find that more is added to it. It's always been this way. Subtraction?

But what I find I must subtract each day is my need to control things. (How Jesus had to relinquish his need to control things!) I must subtract the notion of worry (a poor use of imagination, by the way). I am called to subtract fear and enter into the fresh flow of God's creativity and grace for the day, this day, the only day I am given, using the resources with which I (and others, for we are in this together!) have been graced. Trusting in the mysterious power of holy sacrifice and resurrection. How might you need to trust in God in new ways this Maundy Thursday?

Brian

Garden of Gethsemane: Holy fear

Thy will be done.
I didn't really know the full impact of such a prayer until push came to shove and following God meant walking away from the man I thought I would marry in college. Looking back, I think, "Thank God!" I couldn't put my faith in the God my boyfriend believed in - a God that said women couldn't be pastors (and a lot of other things). But walking away from someone I loved - was one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life.
Thy will be done.
We can't fully live the life God desires for us, if we don't have the courage to go where God is leading us.
Perhaps what we can take from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is this: even in our holy fear, the most important thing to do is pray, be in conversation with God, to gain strength for whatever we must do.
Have you ever been in a place of holy fear?

- Melanie

Last Supper: Holy self-giving

Communion is like the gift that keeps on giving...
I cherish the communion services we have each Wednesday morning at 11:30 in the chapel. It is a time each week that I remember Christ and experience God's grace. Sometimes it feels like I give and give and give, and it's important to have places we can receive from others - in this instance, the grace of God through communion. I thought Sarah's point was interesting about giving out of a sense of obligation or requirement, feels so different from giving out of genuine desire and joy. Sometimes giving starts out of obligation, but turns into genuine desire - and there's grace there, when that happens! And sometimes we start something out of genuine desire, but it becomes a weighty obligation - and maybe that's when it's time to reevaluate what we are doing and why we are doing it.
What sorts of things to do you do, "self-giving", that come from genuine desire and bring you joy?

- Melanie

Consecration

Holy Week is a sacred space and time in the life of the church - we experience it with the special worship services throughout the week. So I know I'm walking on holy ground while at the church. But I'm excited to create some sacred space in my home tonight - so that I will be ever reminded of the holy ground we walk upon this week. I think the center of my space will hold a cross that I got in Guatemala. It has little metal objects nailed all over it, called "milagros". Milagros is the Spanish word for miracles. The objects are all different - some are hearts, knees, eyes, cars, books, houses. The object represents the nature of the prayer a person has. They would pin the heart or knee or eyes on the clothing of Mary or Jesus inside of the churches, as a way of lifting their prayers to God. Maybe they were praying for a broken heart, a heart in need of surgery, a cold heart. Maybe they were praying for a new pair of glasses, or eyes to see the direction God wanted them to go. That will be my center, as we remember that Jesus stands shoulder-to-shoulder with us in our struggles. And so this week we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Jesus in remembering his struggle.
Blessings to you this week -

- Melanie