Called to serve

I had the good fortune last night to be out in the freezing rain, for several hours. Doesn't sound like much fun, but I was out there with the Couples Ministry from Holy Angels parish serving the homeless. What a humbling experience. While I felt the wetness of my clothing, the freezing of my hands and feet I  knew eventually I would get back in my friends car, head back to my car in the suburbs and be able to crawl into a warm cozy bed. My experience was momentary, theirs has no end in sight. All I could think of was the story in the bible about what you do for the least of me, you do for me.

Coffee and garbage

 If you've been married for any length of time you come to understand love is not always in the grand gestures, but the small considerations. My husband and I like our coffee our own way. He likes his extra strong and I'm a half caffeinated light weight. Fortunately we most often wake at different times so we have our small 4cup pot to ourselves.  I always wake up to a clean coffeemaker and always thought how sweet is that?  I'm ashamed to say that it took me several years to return the favor.  Such a simple act. But I now always empty the grounds and rinse the pot so my husband has the same clean coffeemaker he has always offered me.

When we moved into our condo several years ago we had two very sad looking garbage receptacles. One for recycling and one for regular garbage.  I finally splurged and bought one of those fancy stainless steel combination trash bins. Replacing the bags was tricky to get it just right.  I even watched a video to figure it out. My husband is wonderful about emptying the garbage, no overflowing bins or arguments there. But this intricate placement of the bag escapes him. After emptying the full bag he places the fresh bag in the container for me to work my magic. I often think I must give him a tutorial at some point in case.. ..you know.  But for now this is our system and it works. Him doing his part..me doing mine.  Working together in the small tasks with no judgement, only cooperation and love. Each time I see this and smile, silly I know. Love is often present in the smallest of details. Small enough to escape our view.  But St Therese of Liseaux remind us  "Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love."

 

What Can We Learn from The Gardener?

    

      I’ve never been a gardener, not to say I haven’t tried. But I’ve come a long way over the years. From the time I finally decided to water a plant my first roommate had only to discover the whole time, it was plastic.

     Today's scripture gives us a beautiful metaphor that I only just got today. Jesus appears in the garden after he has risen as a gardener. At first, Mary doesn’t recognize him as the Lord. How many times have I failed to see him, to recognize him? From the reflection in my Magnificat this morning:

With Mary, we may seek the Lord, weeping when he is not to be found in prayer, in worship, in our daily round of activities, only to come upon him in the most unexpected of places and discover that he has been there all along. It was we who did not recognize him. As he promised, our risen Lord is with us always.

     When we plant a garden, we plant it in hope and faith. We do the work, till the soil, ready the earth, and carefully enter our hope to the earth. And then we wait, and wait, and wait. While we may not be able to see what’s happening the Lord is growing, doing his work behind the scenes, under the earth, not visible to the eye. Just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. But that also doesn’t mean we don’t do our part. We water, feed and nourish that seed to the best of our abilities. And then we wait patiently for the Lord to do his part.

     In the silence, in the waiting, it may seem as our Lord has left us. But he hasn’t. If we could look under the soil, under the surface of our hearts we would see the master gardener is at work. Working all things for good to those that love him, trust him, believe in him.

     When I was away for a week I came back to a plant on the verge of death, I had neglected to remind my husband to water it. This plant had special meaning for me because it was one of the first plants he bought for me. I nurtured and cared for that little plant as I did our relationship, as a sign of our growth. To think I might lose this plant was upsetting indeed. But I watered it and waited in hope. I trimmed back the dead leaves, ridding it of the parts that were no longer useful, stealing the very power for the plant to thrive.  Sure enough after a few days it started to perk up and much to my delight it is back stronger than ever.

     Let the lessons of the gardener fill your heart today. Be still in the process, in the unseen growth, in the silence. Do your part. Wait in hope, in love and in patience to see the growth happening right under our noses. To soon see, touch and smell the fruits of our efforts. Cocreating the beauty in our lives with the risen Lord.

Rembrandt - Jesus, Risen Gardener

The Last Supper

            So am I the only person left that did not know that Leonardo da Vincis' painting of the last supper depicts the moment that Jesus told his disciples he would be betrayed? Trying to experience Holy Week in a more meaningful way has been challenging, so today on Maundy Thursday my devotionals spoke of the last supper, reflecting on this painting and the meaning depicted. In studying and pondering this painting there are interesting parallels to what we are all experiencing during this pandemic, stay with me here. Leonardo portrays an entire range of emotion on the faces of the disciples. "In the face of each one may be seen love, fear, indignation, grief,  and the hopelessness of not being able to understand the meaning" any of these feelings sounding familiar?

          The whole painting is completed in the perspective of Christ being at the center, and not surprisingly he is the calm amid the chaos. da Vincis' painting exposes the deliberate portrayal of the separation of the viewer from the scene, there is no way for us to enter in. They are isolated, quarantined if you will. This rendering crowds the disciples together, overlapping their very beings. Many of us have felt isolated yet crowded by others in this pandemic. Each disciple has their own response to the revelation of betrayal, much like we all are experiencing our own feelings during this lock down.

         Deliberately grouping the disciples in threes to remind us of the Holy Spirit there are mini scenes throughout the painting. Thinking about how each individual has their own response during this time of uncertainty, consider their reactions. The first grouping on the far left of  Jesus is Bartholomew and James minor, leaning in for more details, and Andrew hands resigned in disbelief.  The next grouping directly to the left of Jesus is Judas, Peter and John. Peter leaning in with knife in hand ready to come to the defense of Jesus, Judas the only figure painted in shadow is reaching out to dip into the bowl while also pulling away, protecting his money bag, and John in a state of serenity, almost oblivious to the situation. To the right of Jesus we have Thomas, Philip and James the major. Thomas is pointing to God as if questioning if this is ordained by him, also foreshadowing his unbelief  that Jesus had in fact returned, until he placed that finger in his wounds. Philip and James are almost in direct contrast in their reaction, James arms outward in defiant disbelief and Phillips arms inward seeking to know more, questioning is it me Lord? And the last three apostles on the right, Matthew and Thaddeus imploring Simon for an explanation to which he has none, his hands in surrender of the unknown.

         But in the center of the storm, the eye of the hurricane, is the peace and calm of Jesus. Offering himself as bread and wine, one hand up and one down, the Alpha and the Omega, The source of all being and love. The one thing that strikes me the most about this supper is that knowing that he was to be betrayed, he still invited all to the table. All are welcome, saints and sinners. There is no limit to God's love and mercy.

As we enter into the Easter Triduum let us never forget the one who gave up all so that we may have life and have it abundantly.

Wishing you a safe, healthy and blessed Easter.