Last week of Lent within covid19
The Son who became man has not come to be served but is the servant who via his very life will pay the debt which was contrived in the days of man’s beginning in order that salvation be assured and man set free. (Mk 10: 45) When translated from plain Greek which uses certain words with the broader sense that readers know what is meant the English word for word translation does not work – hence this is the literal meaning!
This Sunday’s gospel passage introduced to us on the last Sunday of Lent regarding the Lord’s mission and final phase has much relevance upon what we are going through with the present COVID19 epidemic. Yet the heart of its message is of course that which we are bound via the promises we undertook in baptism and of course for those of us at the Altar in Holy Orders: SERVICE!
However irritating the present situation is for all of us in various ways especially for those of us who are used to being free spirited; enjoying a night out even if going for a drive, having a coffee and sitting quietly somewhere whilst absorbing the atmosphere – nervous tensions in the family home are on a high!
Although we may be in isolation mode and perhaps only go out either for bare essentials or work related expeditions; we are in many ways forced to have a communal life with the members of our house hold – a quasi-monastery arrangement. Yes, monasteries are the places where monastics live, work, and recreate – it’s the place where the large family also breaths down each other’s necks as it were, yet tensions are few due to the prayer rule and daily Liturgy which helps keep emotions in check!
Within these present restrictions, we may see mental health cases rise due to not being used to the confinement measures along with the lack of indoor hobby material, will, and scope. Then there are those of us where life’s challenges and experience with others have quelled many of the common rages we all share – I can attest that if it were not for these harsh realities and above all God’s grace; I would not be nor have the calm, patience, endurance, discernment and resilience to deal with thus!
Having stated thus, many of us who if I may classify as diffusers “those who calm situations down via extinguishing the rage of others to avoid nasty outcomes” also need to refuel and come to terms with our own needs. Yes, we may be strong willed, we may have acquired knowledge in the spiritual and intellectual sense, but we are human and we too may crack at some point if prayer and true prayer at that is not at the centre of our lives!
The hardest service to render onto others is not to the people we see now and then or perhaps on a weekly basis, but the people we live with and further work with; the clashing of wills and perspectives! Further, the addition of responsibilities accumulating, the hardships of financial and personal relationship breakdowns can indeed damage the whole of our very persona where recovery can be a long journey.
Just as the Lord warned his apostles, disciples, friends and relations what would happen to him in the last days of his earthly life…many could not comprehend it…some became overzealous promising this that and the other; a walk in the park so to speak/write! They felt security whilst he was with them, protected, nurtures and at ease, yet when things changed; they all ran away and went into panic mode forgetting what he told them would occur of the third day: Resurrection!
Many of us who at first thought this current virus would be dealt promptly with via the extensive means of modern medicine and technology etc. have come to the realization that the days ahead will indeed be dark and uncertain, yet we too must come to the understanding that God will not abandon us and there surely is light at the end of the tunnel; we will get through this together via his grace and intervention! Yet the greatest intervention process is not necessarily the cure or the abolishing of the malady, but the total change within our mindset in how we see the world, where we are at and how we may get to where we should be!
As we draw near to the celebration of western Easter where people swamp the markets, shops and other such means for the family get together - forgetting the real meaning: that too has been shut down! It reminds me of a poster I once came across during Nativity where Santa and his reindeers where halted at a traffic light whilst the Holy Family (Joseph and Mariam upon the donkey) were crossing the road – a reminder of our origins and the situations we find ourselves in.
Yet a week later we will find ourselves in the timeframe of the great paschal celebration where we remember why the Lord came amongst us (that very Annunciation we celebrate this coming Tuesday) and his very promise not to abandon us come what may! That very night which recalls its link from the tyranny of Egypt where God’s people were delivered from the plague of death and Pharaoh’s rule via the sacrificed lambs blood smeared on their doors; now brought to completion with the voluntary shedding of the Lord’s blood on the cross who was announced by John the last of the elder law’s prophets as: “Behold the Lamb of God who removes the world’s sin!” (Jn 1:29) This night where the essence of love that was previously addressed in a conversation at table in a small phrase was embodied: “There is no greater love than to give your life for those you truly love!” (Jn 15:13)
We live in a very fast moving world where there is very little time for others let alone ourselves, yet we have been brought to a standstill: May I boldly state for the sake of the religious fanatics “GOD DOES NOT BRING PUNISHMENT BECAUSE HIS CRUCIFIXION JUSTIFIED ALL BLUNDERS!” Yet there are other forces at work and the presence of evil is seen with catastrophe, disaster, war, disease etc.….there are spiritual realities that influence natural law to a certain extent and of course but ultimately it is our own lack of wisdom that wilfully brings things on as we see with the current problem!
This Holy Pascha where we are unable to celebrate together, where people have been denied commodities, spiritual nourishment and things taken for granted puts things into perspective: SILENCE! This of course freaks people out especially where noise in all its forms must fill in the gaps in order for us not to think too deeply about our mortality and about what’s really going on in our lives!
GOD TURNS A NEGATIVE INTO A POSITIVE! It is rather rejuvenating in the spiritual sense that I as a cleric regardless of my high rank, may celebrate the Paschal mysteries in a contemplative and intimate way without all the added on pomp and ceremony required in mentality! As we know, clerics face the dangers of the mechanisms of rubrics overriding the heart of prayer and presence of God; then allowing our own pompousness in getting caught up with the certain degree of prestige in the moment to be the real centre of attention!
My prayer this Holy Pascha is that clerics realise that they are called to serve wholeheartedly and people (the laity) are called to respond likewise with the sincere appreciation of the true benefits they have within Holy Mother Church. This of course can be tarnished via opposing powers in the broad sense of the word and of those who never had sincere vocations in the beginning via crippling the ministry through their lust and hypocrisy!
May this Holy Pascha be a time of renewal for all of us as a people, as individuals within our daily living, within our thought processing and our endeavouring to reconnect with the divine who dwells in us and in others who we meet along the way! A time for the realization that life’s events especially within our formative years and other such experiences we have faced and cruelty we have encountered may have tarnished us and sealed that sense of reaching out onto others; even allowing others in with all its connotations!
Let’s come to the realisation that God does not create junk but seeks to perfect us with our cooperation – others are potentially good and wholesome; let us not persecute them and at the same time cease from rejecting our true selves via denying ourselves to be loved and cared for in all respects! May these All Holy Mysteries which we will celebrate either in prayer or in private liturgy within our living rooms or chapels be the consolation of what could be, the certainty of what will await us, and the inspiration of how we can attain the fullness freely offered us.
May I invite you to read Father Matthew's Sunday homily which gives perspective on the daily trials and responsibilities our clerics especially married clergy face which is important for the laity to know!
We are certainly going to Jerusalem to celebrate Pascha, yet be aware that the I who became Son of Man will be betrayed by my own people and handed over to those who rule the ministry of the priesthood, they will condemn him to death and commit him to those who have no faith; they will ridicule him and beat him and further spit on him and finally kill him. Yet on the third day he will rise again! (Mk 10: 33-34)
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