Reflection for the 6th week of Easter - 17 May 2020

       We have been living in a strange time, haven’t we?  In my work in the chancery office of the Diocese, I have been working closely with the Bishop and the priests council to devise a plan for the rollout of our public masses starting next weekend in our celebration of Pentecost.  You can only imagine the complex discussions we have been having. I know it has been a strange time for all of us living out our daily lives and living out our faith.

       But, like anything in life, maybe we have been able to find some blessings in the midst of the challenges of this experience.  Since we started a new decade with the year of 2020, I looked back at the last decade and tried to make goals for the year of 2020 and for the upcoming decade.  I always love reading and I have read a lot of books in my lifetime, so trying to read more good books is a goal of min for 2020.  With the stay-at-home orders during these last two months, even in the midst of all the work I have to do, I have intentionally made time to read more.  I have read some books on spirituality, including a book on evangelization in the post-modern era, a book on contemplative prayer by Father Richard Rohr, a memoir of the pilgrimage of the Way of St James, and a book on living out our prayers not just in our words but also in our actions. I have also read some novels recently, including books by the Argentine authors Julio Cortázar and Juan José Saer and the English author Graham Greene.  Also, I am in a virtual book club with some men I knew from St James in Tupelo, some of which now live across the state or across the country.  We are currently reading a book called The Power of Silence by Cardinal Robert Sarah, which is on our FORMED website.

       Besides finding more time to read, hopefully all of us have found time for silence in our lives.  Being a priest, going on annual retreats where silence is of utmost importance, and going on hikes where prayer and silence are very important, I have appreciated silence as a part of my faith and spirituality and time with God.  I guess that being an extremely introverted person does not hurt when it comes to silence either. Cardinal Sarah writes: “ God’s being has always been present in us in an absolute silence. And a human being’s own silence allows him to enter into a relationship with the Word that is at the bottom of his heart.” Hopefully all of you have been able to appreciate silence in your lives during this time of stay-at-place orders.  

       I have missed all of you very much and am hoping that we can gradually unfold more time together once we get back to having mass.   Blessings to all of you as we continue our journey during the Easter season.