In the Midst of Turmoil, the World Still Turns

While it seems like most of the country, and to a certain extent, much of the world, has ground to a halt in the wake of COVID-19, life goes on.  It is helpful to try to maintain some sense of normalcy and routine.  Of course, there are differences.  Online and homeschool instruction for students.  Working from home, or finding oneself newly unemployed.  Trying to maintain contact with friends and family through different means than usual. 

And then, there are signs that life and time marches on.  People continue to get married.  People continue to have babies.  Birthdays still happen, regardless of how they are celebrated.  Anniversaries come and go.  Time waits for no one.

Maybe that is why my nephew and his fiancée decided to move their wedding to two months earlier than they originally planned.  They got married this past weekend in a private ceremony.  My brother and his fiancée intend to keep their planned wedding date in about a month, with a smaller private ceremony as well.  The only thing that really has to wait is the reception.

It is a good reminder for all of us that even though things are drastically different right now in some ways, in other ways, we continue on as we always have.  And this is also a chance for us to be grateful for all the things we tend to take for granted.  Who knows when we might wake up and those things are gone?

Aftershocks of Scripture

Happy, Blessed Easter!  Keep saying it, because the Easter season lasts all the way until June, and as Catholics, we are an Easter people.

I was struck by a thought as I listened to our Easter Triduum scripture readings this year, and I wonder how many others had the same thought.  I had always registered the verse, “There was a great earthquake” at the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross, but this year, that verse stood out to me.  Yes, it is due to our recent events here in Utah (and even more so with the aftershocks in the last few days), but it also brings to mind a reality of what scripture is meant to do for us.

God speaks to us through scripture.  Hopefully, He moves us through His Word.  In the practice of Lectio Divina, we are encouraged to spend time in silence, contemplating the passage we have read and/or heard.  We are encouraged to listen for what God is saying to us in our current circumstances through the passage.  We then reflect on why He is saying this to us here and now, and we respond to Him in prayer.

Prayer is a dialogue.  It can’t just be us talking all the time.  If it is, how would we know when God responds to our prayers?  This year, the earthquake verse shook me out of my routine (pun intended).  Just as we continue to experience aftershocks from our recent quake, allow God to move you with the aftershocks of His Word.

A Holy Week Like No Other

We are not able to congregate for our Holy Week liturgies this year.  This is sad for us as Catholics as these are some of the most beautiful liturgies of our entire year.  While we miss our celebrations, we can still participate in prayer and even in the liturgies in a limited way via streaming and other online options.

As I write this, I have the Chrism Mass from the Cathedral playing in another tab.  Who would have thought just a few short months ago that this would be the way we are celebrating the liturgies of the Holy Triduum?

I have many memories of singing for the Chrism Mass as a chorister at the Madeleine Choir School.  Typically, the Cathedral of the Madeleine is packed, not only with priests, but also with a congregation of laypeople.  The Bishop mentioned in his opening remarks that this was the first time in his time as an ordained priest that he had attended and presided at a Chrism Mass in an empty cathedral.  It is very strange to see the shots of the Cathedral of Madeleine with essentially nobody present.  I can only imagine how the priests of our diocese must feel, not being able to attend in person and experience this time of fellowship and fraternity.

However, I feel like there is a silver lining in the events of today.  Typically in this diocese, the Chrism Mass is transferred from the morning of Holy Thursday to the evening of the Fifth Thursday of Lent.  In celebrating it today, even if only electronically, we are able to celebrate it at the typical time it was celebrated for centuries in the past.

The oils blessed at the Chrism Mass are distributed to the entire diocese – usually taken by each pastor back to his parish.  This year, we will still receive our holy oils, just via another method.  Each of us who has been baptized, confirmed, or anointed at some other time (either in Holy Orders in the case of our priests and religious or in a time of illness) has benefited from these oils.  Let us give thanks that we still have access to these, and that pray that our priests may be strengthened in their continued ministry.

Self-Examination and Discovery

As we continue to navigate the ever-changing situation that the COVID-19 pandemic presents us, there are many changes we have to make, and most likely, there will be many more to come.  Personally, I relocated most of the essential materials from my office at St. Ambrose to my home this week.  I am lucky in that most of my job can be done remotely, and those things that can’t be done remotely could be completed quickly with a visit to the office once a week.  In the process of deciding what should come with me and what should stay, I had to do some examination of my work habits.

I am, by nature, a creature of habit.  I had luckily built in a lot of the framework I would have needed to switch to working remotely long ago, and I had migrated a lot of my computer files to a portable machine earlier this year.  My weeks are very structured when it comes to what must be done each day.  This has been helpful in keeping up with what day it is in general and I haven’t experienced too much sense of one day bleeding into another and forgetting where I am in the week.

So, for me, the switch to working from home didn’t come with too many hiccups, but it did come with a healthy dose of self-examination and discovery.  Where previously my brother and I had been working outside the home and our parents were holding the fort in their retirement, now “the kids” are both home all the time.  It’s been an adjustment for my dad in particular, having everyone around all the time.  But we’ve all carved out our own spaces in the house, and if we ever need to self-isolate, even in the same house, it won’t be too much of an issue to do so.

I did realize that I have to have a relatively clean and organized area to work in.  I’m not too proud to admit my room is typically pretty disorderly.  Now, with me working there, I found very quickly that I needed to clean up.  Still, I find myself glancing up to check the calendar where it is in my office and it isn’t there, because I’m not in my office.  And I’ve found that I am actually more productive if I set boundaries and expectations for myself.  For example, if I would typically put in a set number of hours in my work day, I set a timer for that long.  I allow myself to stop and take breaks, go outside for a walk around the neighborhood, but the hours must get done, not to mention all those tasks that I am able to do remotely.

It is definitely an exercise in discipline, but I think I will come out the other side of this situation with a more streamlined approach to my daily work.  And of course, prayer is a part of my days each and every day.  I ask for strength and perseverance to get through each day and to maintain my focus.  So far, I’ve been successful.

If you have recently shifted your work situation or environment, have you made any discoveries about yourself you didn’t realize before?  How are you making the best of your current situation?

Shelter in Place? Sounds Familiar...

As of early this afternoon, 36 states have issued “Shelter in Place” orders in some counties, and in some cases statewide.  Utah’s Summit County is among them, and according to stories that ran on the local news on Tuesday, Governor Herbert hasn’t ruled out a statewide order.  As a former teacher who was in the classroom in this post-Columbine era of school shootings, Shelter in Place sounds very familiar to me.  It’s what we called a soft lockdown.  Continue with activities in the classroom, just don’t let anyone leave or go outside.

These statewide orders are similar.  It comes down to staying home unless it is absolutely necessary for you to go out.  What would this mean for us as Catholics?  Public celebrations of the Mass are already suspended.  It would mean, if enforced, that we might not be able to go to our churches, even individually, for private prayer, as is the case in Summit County.

It means that our Domestic Church – our churches in our own homes consisting of us, the people of God – would need to be stronger than ever.  One can engage in private prayer anywhere at any time.  Don’t be discouraged.  Take heart, and pray for God to be our shelter during this time of uncertainty.

Laetare? and Alternatives to "Happy Birthday Twice"

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is almost here.  This Sunday is known as Laetare Sunday.  It is the middle of Lent, and we’re halfway through our journey toward the commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection at Easter.  Rejoice!

Wait, what?  Rejoice?  How can we rejoice these days?  We can’t go to Mass on Sunday with the rest of our parish.  We have to practice social distancing, and in some cases self-isolation and quarantine.  AND we just had an earthquake yesterday!  What is there to be joyful about?

Rejoice in the fact that this, too, shall pass.  Rejoice in the fact that God loves you.  Rejoice in the fact that you can still pray, even if it is in isolation.  Rejoice in the fact that so many of our priests continue to pray daily for us, and they seek ways to keep us connected to our faith and our parish communities.

If you are struggling to think of things to be thankful for at this time, try to come up with at least three things.  They can be small things.  Thank God for the rain.  Thank God for the medical professionals who are working to help those who are sick.  Thank God for this time to grow closer to Him through silence and contemplation.  He is waiting for you, always.  Go to Him in prayer.

(Last week’s blog never got posted due to the situation being in a state of flux.  Please find it below.)

In the current situation of hyper-vigilance due to the coronavirus, the CDC is reminding all of us to wash our hands.  Having worked in a daycare previously, I became well-versed in the CDC guidelines for proper handwashing.  Part of the guidelines indicates to scrub hands for 20 seconds – “about as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice”.  Alternatives include “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or the ABCs (once).  All of these is great to use with your younger kids, but what about for us as adults?

I’ve seen several posts floating around on Facebook with alternatives to “Happy Birthday twice”.  Some suggest excerpts from musicals, others bits of popular songs.  I even saw a Youtube video posted by our Episcopalian brothers and sisters suggesting “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” – what they call the doxology.

I have a suggestion for us Catholics, which is especially relevant right now during Lent.  Try singing either of the settings of the Kyrie we use at St. Ambrose.  Both are about twenty seconds in length if you repeat each phrase (i.e., Kyrie twice, Christe twice, Kyrie twice).

Above all, remember:  Keep Calm and Wash Your Hands

Struggling with Lenten Resolutions

It is a typical Catholic practice to give something up for Lent.  I try to make a commitment to add something as well as giving something up.  This year, I haven’t struggled as much with what I have decided to give up as I have with what I have decided to add, and it is because “life” insists on getting in the way.

Of course, I have to tell myself, that it is a matter of priorities.  Health and sleep are higher priorities than adding something to my routine each day, but am I letting my obsessive-compulsive tendencies get the better of me?  Am I trying to do too much?  Do I need to scale it back?  I have to be honest with myself when trying to answer these questions and make a decision one way or the other.  And I’m not sure what my answer is yet.

Struggling with Lenten resolutions is a good thing, I think.  It helps us realize that we aren’t superhuman.  We are prone to failure, but we can always keep trying.