The Archbishop has requested that we ring the bell every day at noon and say this Angelus prayer together

Angelus

God Bless the world
Give it wisdom at this time
Grant us relief and release
Be with those who are ill
And bless the carers fighting this pandemic

For Jesus Christ sake.
Amen

Wednesday, 15th April 2020, 20th Day in our National Lockdown

Eucharist Readings:

Acts 3:1-10                Psalm 105: 1-9              Luke 24: 13-35

Usually this would be the week where we all would recover, take a step back, revitalize after the hype of the Easter weekend, all the services, the visitation of family and friends, but this time around it is different. The road travelled, the journey we embarked on was different. Although we could not be part and engaged in the traditions of the church, physically in the process of witness, singing all glory laud and honor with our palm crosses, the washing of the feet, the service of light,  God called us to pause….and gave us the opportunity to walk towards Him and meet him in our hearts.

Yes, my friends today the Gospel reading is the same reading we dealt with during our Lenten program. Although we couldn’t finish it as expected, circumstances require us to take another road, embark on another journey, traveling plans were changed, maybe with results and destinations beyond our expectation. Today God is giving us the opportunity to once again look and find a different perspective at the road travelled, our Emmaus road during this time we find ourselves in. Also, with this the affirmation of God that He is always in control.  

During our Lenten program and the topics, we dealt with, Conversing, Suffering, Scriptures, Hope, Jesus is also teaching us about compassion we need to have for one another, to listen, care and love one another. Maya Angelou in her book, ‘All God’s people need traveling shoes’, she shares how she had to learn how to forgive , forgave the person who were responsible for her son’s accident, which left him with a fractured arm and leg and broken neck. Yet she couldn’t understand his stoicism, him lying calm, week after week in a prison of plaster, yet he was the one telling her to forgive the person responsible for his accident, because he could see that this person is more emotionally hurt than him and if he can forgive him so can she, she also had to open herself , adapt to her circumstances , swallowed her pride and let people take care of her, and allow people to suffer with her , we also had to adapt to our circumstances and in the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer ‘it is not the religious act that makes us Christian but the participation in the suffering of God in the life of the world’, meaning that we are doing this together, we are suffering together, we are sharing our  anxieties but we know we find our hope in the Risen Lord. Although we are experiencing different journeys, different roads to travel, maybe our travelling shoes are different, whether we are wearing, Nike, adidas, Hush puppies, our destination is the same. It also reminds me of the song’ the road is long, with many winding turns, that leads us to, Who Knows where, who knows where, but I /We are strong….

In this time of uncertainty, confusion we don’t know where the road might take us, but all we know is that in our suffering together, we can trust, believe, and our Hope is in the Risen Lord. Amen Halleluiah, Halleluiah.