Our Orthodox friends are celebrating Easter but for us in the West it's Low Sunday, and it sure started off ominously with low, dark clouds, thunder and the threat of torrential rain. I liked that, it seemed apt, celebrate the Mass in a storm. But the rain held off and the Sacrifice was offered on the church steps of Mission #1 with the people pulling up to the curb for the service.
Good result, and I'll wager the only "public worship" being offered in this small bucolic farming community on Sunday, or any other day. Of course in England and some US states it'd be banned because it's so very much more dangerous than going to Walmart. Well, that's risky at the best of times, to be fair.
Mission #2 was a bit more advanced, we worshiped God in the car park and everyone stood by their rigs with facemasks. But I'm not sure why they did. How would wearing a facemask, when you're a sturdy 10 feet away from anyone else, protect you from the Red Death? Far more likely to infect yourself with and from the wretched mask.
Whatever, it was a blessed event and I bellowed out the Mass and a short homily on the reality of the resurrection. Christ's victory was real and it's real for us too because he lives in us and we in him. So be firm, unshakable, rejoice and have hope because in Christ death and the grave have no power over us. DFTR, when you think about it.
Homiletics aside, the sun came out for the Domine non sum dignus (Lord I am not worthy) as I turned and faced the car park massive with the Body of Christ. In that moment, heaven shone on silver and the veil between the worlds was slim.
God bless,
LSP
22 comments:
Nice range pic. Opened my gun safe last week. It was the first time I have ever seen all my guns trying to cower in the same corner. "Go away. You just cleaned us (again) two days ago". Yeah, I'm jonesin' for some range time.
While not myself a church goer, I do admire you clergy who continue to discharge your duties by whatever means you can.
Well, LSP, rumour has it that a droplet from a cough can travel 20 feet so maybe the face mask wearing was a good thing. Scientists are looking into this now having recognised that mask wearing places are having lower incidents. We may now have to wear masks when we get allowed out. Who knows… the whole thing is a bit of an ordeal, isn’t it.😷
Putting on tefillin is a PITA (pain in the a). I'm making an effort to do it consistently for morning prayers.
And this morning my older child came down just as I was putting them on. We sang "Modeh ani" which is the prayer you say thanking Hashem for carrying you through the night. We then said the Shema together.
Maybe space suits/moon suits will become mandatory if you wish to go to church, or walk the aisles of Walmart. Who thought last New Year's Day that 2020 was the year when we'd live full sci-fi.
Thanks for doing what you do Parson. Part of the solution.
@Jules:
In the hypothetical ideal world it'd be nice to know the breakdown on method of transmission. Breathing it in from someone else's sneeze/cough, touching an infected surface and then touching your face, and so on.
In belt-and-suspenders mode, it's good to have a mask to stop one's own emissions (or at least slow it down) and at the same time wear a mask to slow down breathing it in.
After "celebrating" Low Sunday online (so not uplifting) I went to Ace and then to Lowe's for some much needed sanding sealer. It was dystopian to say the least with all these crabby looking people walking around with rags on their faces. Can't tell the good guys from the bad anymore. I tried "offering it up" ala Sister St. Philomena. It didn't work too well.
RHT, I totally get that.
Thanks, WSF, I appreciate that. A lot.
Juliette, I may have to walk back the mask thing... Better safe than sorry, eh?
Nitzakhon, I APPLAUD your effort. Seriously, well, done! A beautiful prayer and powerful.
Mr. Wolf, we live in weird times. And I'd be happier if less of our ruling elite overlords were in the pay of Saudi and/or China.
I try, Kid, and to be honest, if this was a big city I'd be doing something different but there it is. Important to get the Sacrament out to the people.
Jules & N:
Yes.
Adrienne, I can't get into this online Mass thing at all. I guess I'd do it if I had to but still, doesn't cut it. A bit like "over the phone confession" when you think about it.
Then there's the dystopian weirdness of our stores, with everyone wearing freakish masks. Have you noticed the homemade ones?
Good Lord.
KYRIE.
LSP, Again, we (some of us) appreciate you.
On the lighter side - Apparently, you've never done an over the phone confession with a serious pervert? Those can be fun.
-Kid
In case anyone's interested here's more info about Modeh Ani.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3725415/jewish/Modeh-Ani.htm
And today I wrote a very short poem in Hebrew and sent it to a friend of mine as I remember - especially - the six million murdered in the Shoah. I wrote it in Hebrew but here it is translated:
I love you Hashem*
I love the land of Israel
I love the water, I love the sea, I love the land.
My soul listens to you. With you I am alive.
For me you are first. You are the whole world. Thank you for everything, for the Jewish family, the land, my children, and my friends.
Thank you for all Hashem.
Thank you.
* In my soul I am becoming Orthodox, and we use Hashem - literally THE NAME - in place of G-d.
Kid, I've never done that officially... but... ahem. Duty calls where it calls.
Nitzakhon, I'm moved by that. Truly.
God bless you and I feel He will.
Thank you. It will be enough if Hashem blesses America, Israel, and Western Civilization. Me, not so important in the big picture.
It was a strain on my knowledge of Hebrew. I have to admit I've been impressed with Duolingo, but I still feel like I know so little. Right now I'm starting on the first numbers module and it's confusing the heck out of me. Hebrew is a highly gendered language, with plurals to boot. So, for example, "fish" is male, so I have to use the male form of the number. Tomatoes are female, so they get the female form. And adjectives need to be not only the male/female, but the singular plural form. (E.g., there's "happy" singular male, singular female, plural male, and plural female.)
Still, last summer we were there and I took my friend's family out for dinner at their version of Subway (the "New Deli" which they love). Just as I started ordering another friend - in the Air Force - showed up. I was ordering...
"Ani rotze offot shawarma... lechem khoom… agvaniot, zaitim, batzalim… ken, tahini"
(I want chicken shawarma, brown bread, tomatoes, olives, onions... yes, sesame sauce.)
The just-arrived friend was impressed. I wish I'd not persuaded my parents to let me quit Hebrew school. My kids? Also on Duolingo for Hebrew and Spanish, and my wife speaks to them in Russian which they understand, but don't really speak. Now if I could just get them into a symbol-based language class to broaden them more. Chinese? My preference would be Japanese, but then I've always been a Japanophile.
*laughing* My Kazakh wife looks Chinese, and she was (and still is) very attractive. One day she asked me "Did you marry me because I'm Asian"? "No, I married you because I loved you". Very shrewdly I did not add the whole truth: "Your being Asian didn't hurt your chances"! :)
I'm not that stupid even if I look it. :D
N, I lasted maybe 6 months with Hebrew at Kings London, back in the day. Wish I'd kept it up.
And of course, Asian women can be gorgeous. Of course they all are, but that's another homily!
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