Current Situation: Not Ideal, But...
Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:
share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.
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Two weeks ago (the second-to-last Sunday of the liturgical year) was yet another really weird Mass experience in 2020 that led to an important message from the Lord. Firstly, I was late. Then, I couldn't get inside. Our ushers lock the outer gates 5 minutes past the start of Mass—I was still walking through the parking lot 6 minutes past the hour. None of it was ideal.
As Mass went on, I sat at an outdoor picnic table on the church grounds and called my mom on the phone. She told me about the homily at their church that week. I craned my neck from time to time and described the beautiful desert sunset to her.
After 40 minutes or so, parishioners began to exit through the church gates. "Gotta go, Mom. Love you," I clicked my headphones to end the call. I walked into the gymnasium where Mass is celebrated these days. The priest was about to distribute Communion! Along with a few others who arrived after Mass, I was able to receive the Eucharist! Afterward, I knelt in one of the make-shift aisles to read through the Mass readings on my phone.
The words “share your master's joy” stood out from the Gospel. The Word hit my heart as a call to recognize: A.) I belong to the Lord and B.) He is calling me to share myself! Throughout the week, the Holy Spirit led me to share myself even when the situation seemed less than ideal. For instance, I tried to record “Ave Maria” for a friend and patron, Carrie, on her birthday. It was the song she requested.
But my voice sounded severely out of practice for classical pieces. And I kept accidentally making strange facial expressions (my face is out of the practice of singing in front of people, too). On the fourth take, my kids came home from school. My Word for the Week beckoned me to share myself, anyway. So I recorded the thing and sent it off with resignation. Look at Carrie’s response!
Thanks for the combination of laughter and tears this morning. Love it and thanks for being in the trenches of #crazytown with the rest of us mamas. I was really rooting for one or two kids photobombing this video! Would have been so apropos. Love you To Jesus through Mary.
How about you? Maybe you’re navigating some less-than-ideal situations right now. I’ll invite you to join me in giving all of it to Jesus, anyway.
Jesus gives himself to us in what seems like the least ideal moments of our lives, of our families, of history. His birth transformed an unfit manger into the most glorious throne. His providence turned a missed Mass into a desert-sunset Eucharistic service. His presence transforms the trauma of our own stories into the triumph of His love. May he likewise redeem our less-than-ideal lives into a joyful offering for the world! Amen.
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