Dear Friends,
The Choristers had a wonderful time preparing costumes for Halloween and visiting the Fire House on the opposite side of the street to the Choir School. If you look closely, you might see a huge inflatable dinosaur which was one of the more outlandish costumes worn by a chorister, who clearly has a large personality! I had asked the choristers last week to discover why Halloween had that name and they were quick to work out its connection with the Eve of All Saints. It was such a joyful All Saints’ Day this year, with 125 people in church and many more on-line. The music was glorious, and the choristers were animated during the homily. The next day saw another good attendance for the mass of All Souls and a beautiful and moving homily by Mo. Turner.
All Saints and All Souls begin this month of Remembrance, and the Church in her wisdom, places these two special days next to each other. I was talking with a parishioner yesterday, and we pondered on how we celebrate the joy of the communion of Saints before we commemorate the sadness of death and the loss of loved ones. One might think it should be the other way around, like Good Friday has to come before Easter Day; but, of course, our experience of human mortality is changed because of the Resurrection. We experience the sadness of death looking through the lens of hope because of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of the service, as the choir sang the chant ‘In Paradisum’ we could hear the tower bells ringing – a reminder of the saints and angels who surround us with their prayer.
“May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs receive you at you draw near, and lead you to the holy city Jerusalem. May choirs of angels welcome you and with Lazarus, once poor, may you have eternal rest.”
Recently, Fr. Schultz talked about ‘thin places’ where it is as if heaven and earth touch. Certainly, churches and shrines and pilgrimage sites are charged with glory of the presence of God. Just as we read in the Book of Genesis of Jacob waking from a dream, and realizing how close he had been to the presence of God, which led him to name the place ‘Bethel,’ so even in the midst of death, we can sense the Lord’s gentle presence with us. The Orthodox understanding of the Liturgy is another such ‘thin place’ and, as I often teach in the Pilgrims’ Class, when the celebrant prays the words of the preface leading into the Sanctus, he or she does not pray “Therefore like angels and archangels…” but, rather, “Therefore with angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven!” Yes, our liturgy is also a thin space where heaven and earth touch in a wonderful embrace, and we can feel the power of prayer and the abiding presence of the Lord who said that he would be with us until the end of the age.
Every Saturday in November, we will celebrate a Requiem Eucharist in the Lady Chapel at 12 pm, and pray for our departed loved ones by name. There are many names so we will divide them up according to the alphabet, praying for them by the initial letter of their surname:
November 5th A-G
November 12th H-M
November 19th N-S
November 26th T-Z
If you have not yet sent us the names of loved ones, please do so. You can include their dates in our Book of Remembrance if you wish. Please send them to remembrance@saintthomaschurch.org.
I was reading a short article by Becky Eldredge the other day on the Ignatian Spirituality website IgnatianSpirituality.com which is a ministry of the USA Midwest Province of the Jesuits. I was struck by how she had also discovered ‘thin places’ in some of the ordinariness of life. When we truly discover how precious those moments are, and are open to the promptings of the Lord, we can be amazed at the presence of God in the whole of his creation, including my own life.
Affectionately,
Your Priest and Pastor,
Carl
‘Thin Places’ by Becky Eldridge
William Barry, SJ, in his book, A Friendship Like No Other, invites us to be aware of our “thin places,” those moments where we easily find God. Barry’s challenge to name for ourselves our “thin places” was a challenge I took to heart, and I have come to two conclusions.
First, there are “thin places” that occur in my life that are unique, special places that I do not get to visit very often, but when I do the felt presence of God is almost overwhelming. Many of mine are places in nature, such as the beach, my grandparents’ farm, and being in the North Georgia Mountains, and they invite me to understand the vastness and creative power of our creator. As I stand and soak in the beauty of nature these places offer, I also find that I understand that my mere presence in life is but one piece of God’s magnificent, ongoing creative work.
Second, as Barry’s question of “thin places” remained on my heart, I found myself pondering it often during my Examen. Over time, I began to realize that there are some very basic rhythms and routines of my life that allowed me to readily and easily find God: snuggling my daughter, Abby, while sipping my morning coffee; sitting down to lunch with my kids after preschool to hear about their day; reading to my kids and our night time ritual of prayer; and savoring the few quieter moments with my hubby after the last door of my kids’ room was closed. I was surprised to find that the rhythms of my life are spotted with moments that easily allow me to find God. Without realizing it, these moments are checkpoints to see how the ones I love are doing and even more importantly “still points” that allow me to savor the gifts in my life and to deepen my awareness of God in all things.
I am sure as I continue to ponder my “thin places,” I will be surprised, yet again, as to where God routinely pops up in my day.
