I want to share some thoughts this morning about the Lent and Easter seasons we have been going through this year. How amazing that the global pandemic has almost exactly coincided with these two great sacred seasons. These have been Lents and Easters like we have never experienced before. A Lutheran Pastor friend of mine said that he never dreamed he would be telling people to stay home from church. And as Presiding Bishop Curry said in his Easter homily: “It may not look like Easter. It may not smell like Easter. It may not feel like Easter. But it’s Easter anyway!” Christ is risen anyway!
I have been reflecting quite a bit the past couple of months on how the pandemic has been affecting our lives and our world, and will likely continue to do so for years to come. One way to think about the pandemic is to see it as a global “wake up call.” A profound time for everyone to reflect upon how we are living our lives. As Pope Francis put it, to sort out what “really matters.” We are being called to think about what really matters and to let go of things that don’t really matter.
Another way to think about this is to describe it as a time of profound “spiritual awakening.” Fr. Richard Rohr, one of my theological heroes, says that spiritual growth tends to happen through two human experiences: 1) through the experience of great love; and 2) through the experience of great suffering. Both of these shake us up and move our souls into deeper spiritual awareness.
For example, I think most of us will never forget the times we have fallen in love with someone, or when we have experienced God’s deep love for us in a personal way. And we will never forget our times of deep suffering, sorrow, loss and grief. These kinds of experiences touch us, and change us permanently.
We see this happening in today’s Gospel reading. It is the beloved story of Jesus walking with the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. We notice in the story that the Risen Jesus mysteriously comes to walk alongside the two disciples on the road without being recognized. He kind of sneaks up on them and fits into their conversation. Jesus meets them where they are in their grief, sadness, shock and confusion. Like a good pastor or counselor, he listens to their story.
Walking along the road the disciples don’t recognize that it is Jesus who is walking with them. But when they invite this stranger to stay with them for evening is it hand, an Easter miracle happens. When Jesus breaks the bread at supper, “Their eyes were opened.” They recognize that their mysterious companion is Jesus, apparently alive. And then Jesus vanishes from their sight.
This is a story of great suffering and great love. It is a story of how love is stronger than death, how love endures and never ends. It is a story of profound spiritual awakening on the part of the two disciples and how they come to Easter faith.
I think this is what is happening to us this Lent and Easter. Through great suffering and great love we are participating in a spiritual awakening, an awakening that is taking place on both the individual and collective levels. The awakening is so profound that it has thrust us into a time of great uncertainty. We have moved into a cloud of unknowing. Life has changed and we do not know what the future will bring.
Here are some of the questions I have been wrestling with:
How are my eyes being opened? What am I seeing?
What lessons am I learning through this pandemic?
What are we seeing through the lens of this crisis?
What is God calling us to be and become?
I know that you are wrestling with similar questions. Wrestling with questions is good. It is an important part of the process of spiritual growth. If we don’t ask new questions, we will never come up with new answers.
Early on in the pandemic when the “Stay at Home” order was first in place, my spiritual director suggested that I start a daily practice of writing down my feelings in a journal. What I have been doing is pausing, breathing, putting my hand on my heart, and then tuning into what am I feeling that day. This practice last about 3-5 minutes. After tuning into my feelings, I have been writing down words which describe my experience. What I am discovering is that these words really do reflect what I am experiencing during the pandemic. They are a log of my experience.
Some of the words are negative and describe painful emotions. But many of the words are hopeful and inspiring. There seems to be a Yin/Yang to the words I come up with.
I am going to read a few words from my list that are guiding me through the pandemic. I would even say that they are inspiring me to envision the kind of life I would like to live once we get through these hardest days of the crisis.
And I invite you to do the same. Write down the words that describe your feelings these days, and also include the words that inspire you to envision a brighter future.
Here are some of the words from my list:
Vulnerability, Fear, Anxiety, Uncertainty, Interconnectedness, Compassion, Hope, Love, Trust, Grief, Sadness, Essential workers, Sacrifice, Gratitude, Generosity, Community, Science, Facts not fear, Family, Racism, Social justice, Health care disparity, Income inequality
These words are powerful. They are mirrors which describe my experience, my growing awareness. They help open my eyes to see what the Risen Christ is doing through the pandemic. Many of them are words which inspire and help me envision the kind of life I believe God is calling me to live.
I am curious what your list of words might be. If we were in church, I would ask you to speak yours out loud.
I invite you to try this spiritual exercise. Tune into your feelings and come up with your own list of words. Write them down. Inscribe them upon your heart and upon your mind. Let them remind you of what we are going through. Reflect upon your words and let them inspire you to new Resurrection Life in Jesus Christ.
Stay home. Stay healthy. Trust in God’s guidance, love and care.