Our Lenten journey this year has taken a turn none of us anticipated. The coronavirus has gone
from a matter of concern to one of urgency and action in a very short time. I found the past
week of “sheltering in place” to be a strange one. On one hand, I was aware of the need to get
things accomplished, learn zoom and Facebook livestreaming skills, pray for our community and
the world, and be more mindful than ever about the spiritual practice of staying connected. On
another hand, time seemed to slow down. Can it be only a week since we closed the doors of
St. Thomas?
We are fasting now from gathering together in person, from many of the ordinary pleasures
that define our lives. We are fasting from the Eucharist. We are fasting from our expectations
about what “normal life” looks like, and from carefully made plans. These actions strike me as
the kind of fast Isaiah proclaimed (Isaiah 58:6), because they are done out of concern for
others.
Retired Bishop Steven Charleston, a member of the Choctaw Nation, has encouraged people
everywhere to “shelter in faith,” saying “History has shown that the most powerful and
effective tool any community has in confronting crisis is spiritual resilience.”
Yes, time has slowed down. Yes, we are in a time of great uncertainty, and suffering. But we
have reserves of spiritual resilience that we are just beginning to tap, expressed in self-sacrifice,
creativity and deepening compassion. By the grace of God we will come through this Lenten
time. It may be extended, not conforming to church calendars! But we will surely come through
it to a glorious Easter of new life.
Shelter in faith, dear friends, and may God bless and keep you.
Kathleen
