Northminster Family,
It's a new world we're living in. You don't need me to tell you how far-reaching the effects of this virus will be, not only in terms of sickness and lives lost, though the cost there is high. But we know that there has also been an epidemic of cancellations and postponements, of lives rerouted, dreams deferred, businesses hard hit, milestones missed, travel plans rearranged. There is widespread fear; this is as much a psychological trauma to our world as it is a physical one.
And there is no quick and easy way out of trauma. The only way out is through. This is why we have to remember to stop, to breathe. We have to remember to be present to our bodies, to listen to what they are telling us, to pay attention to where we are physically manifesting the anxieties we carry. We have to get grounded so that we can see past the fear, to awaken to the presence of God that has been there all along. When we are grounded in Love, we cannot be overwhelmed.
Have you taken a deep breath today? Surely there's room in your lungs for another. Take this opportunity to breathe deeply and let these words wash over you, offered by Fr. Richard Hendrick, OFM, on Friday, March 13, 2020:
"Lockdown"
Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighbourhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness.
But there does not have to be disease of the soul
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul
And though you may not be able
to touch across the empty square,
Sing.
Grace, peace, and nice deep breaths,
Claire
P.S. We'd love to see your face tonight - keep scrolling for info on our church-wide check-in over Zoom tonight ("Living Room Chat").
