Dear friends,
As we enjoy another lovely spring day, it seems as if May is rushing by. There is anticipation of “opening up” as we seek to re-enter some of the daily routines we were asked to put on hold these past weeks, and all of the planning that we must engage in to make our new normal as healthy, happy and safe as we can for all. It seemed fitting to share with you Presiding Bishop Curry’s meditation from his Habitats of Grace series, which focuses on gladness.
Habits of Grace, May 19, 2020: An invitation for you, from Presiding Bishop Curry
[May 19, 2020] As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing social distancing, I invite you to join me each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’ A new meditation will be posted on Tuesdays through May. These meditations can be watched at any time by clicking here.
May 19, 2020: Finding gladness
In Luke’s Gospel, in the sixth chapter, Jesus says this,
Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
It may seem strange to suggest it, but even in times of hardship, even in times when our hearts are heavy, sometimes, finding something to be glad about and maybe something to laugh about can actually help. Now, you can’t fake it, but sometimes it can help.
I think of times in my own family when we have attended family funerals, and after the funeral, there’s usually some kind of repast. And no matter how sad the journey to death has been or how painful it has been, when the family would gather around, folk would start telling stories, sometimes, stories about the deceased, sometimes, just family stories. There would be the sound of laughter and moments of joy even in the midst of grief and sorrow.
There’s a bishop in the Diocese of Western North Carolina named José McLoughlin. And Bishop José has, for the last five or six weeks, been publishing on YouTube, Quarantine with Bishop José. It will bring some gladness, some laughter, some sense of joy even in the midst of this difficult time of pandemic. That there is a time to weep, as Ecclesiastes says, and there’s a time to laugh. So, maybe a little exercise for this week will be to go to YouTube, find Quarantine with Bishop José, and add that or something else to your list of things that bring gladness.
God love you. God bless you. And you keep the faith.
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I will also include a little virtual tour to enjoy (below). Please note that for the balance of the week each Daily Message will include important information on ministries, as well as a survey we will be sending to you to complete at your earliest convenience, to help us plan our re-opening at St. Edward’s. So, please, we encourage you to look for our messages!
Enjoy your evening as you go to beautiful Beara Peninsula in Ireland!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8-dWKkfk2Y
Stay well. Be safe. Keep the faith.
Michelle