“Whoever says, ‘I abide in him,’ ought to walk just as he walked.”
-- 1 Jn. 2:6
Rembrandt's Head of Christ (1648)
Do We Really Want Heaven?
Have you ever secretly thought that heaven sounds boring? Let’s face it, for beings who live in time, an eternity of peace and joy can actually sound unpleasantly monotonous! What will it really be like? Won’t we grow tired of eating the banquet, beholding the vision, and coasting along in a state of bliss?
In C.S. Lewis’ wonderful little book, The Problem of Pain, he gives a simple response to those who say they aren’t sure they want heaven. Heaven is not a mind-numbing forever of boring, sweet goodness. Heaven is the “other piece,” that thing you have been yearning for but couldn’t put into words, that memory you keep going back to, the reality you’ve only peeked at in fleeting moments. It’s the thing you love most in every book you’ve read, the satisfaction you have in your work, the understanding you share with a friend, the “secret signature of each soul.”
The satisfaction of these things is not a static or monotonous reality. It is not a one-time experience that quickly grows old. There is dynamism here, relationship, giving over, connection, a unity in diversity that you only glimpsed before. Heaven is something you already knew but rediscover forever.
Here is an excerpt from C.S. Lewis’ The Problem of Pain:
“There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven; but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else. You may have noticed that the books you really love are bound together by a secret thread. You know very well what is the common quality that makes you love them, though you cannot put it into words: but most of your friends do not see it at all…. Even in your hobbies, has there not always been some secret attraction which the others are curiously ignorant of – something, not to be identified with, but always on the verge of breaking through, the smell of cut wood in the workshop or the clap-clap of water against the boat’s side? Are not all lifelong friendships born at the moment when at last you meet another human being who has some inkling (but faint and uncertain even in the best) of that something which you were born desiring, and which, beneath the flux of other desires and in all the momentary silences between the louder passions, night and day, year by year, from childhood to old age, you are looking for, watching for, listening for? You have never had it. All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been but hints of it – tantalizing glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear. But if it should really become manifest – if there ever came an echo that did not die away but swelled into the sound itself – you would know it. Beyond all possibility of doubt you would say ‘Here at last is the thing I was made for.’ We cannot tell each other about it. It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want, the thing we desired before we met our wives or made our friends or chose our work, and which we shall still desire on our deathbeds, when the mind no longer knows wife or friend or work. While we are, this is. If we lose this, we lose all.”
Announcement:
The Franciscan Life Center (Meriden, CT) is presenting “Overcoming Anxiety” Workshops, a six-week series beginning Wed., April 20, from 7:00-8:30 p.m., for ages 16 and up. Dr. Thomas Finn, clinical psychologist, is the facilitator and presenter. Click the link below for more information.
Burying the Alleluia
As many of you know, I started my first parish job at the ripe old age of 23, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Fortunately, my predecessor, Sr. Blanche Twigg, had run a tight ship. It was just my job to keep it floating.
Sr. Blanche had many gifts that I did not have, and one was that she really knew how to work with children. She understood that they are both literal and mystical. I discovered this about Sr. Blanche as my first Lent in the parish approached.
About a week before Ash Wednesday, my co-worker in the Religious Education office disappeared into the storage room, rummaged around for a bit, and emerged with an old banner that read “A-L-L-E-L-U-I-A!” She then informed me that it was almost time to bury it.
Apparently every year, Sr. Blanche would gather the children together and talk to them about Lent. Then she would fold up the big banner and symbolically bury it. “ALLELUIA” went dark until Easter, when it was once again allowed to see the light of day.
When I heard about this, I couldn’t decide if it was a stroke of pedagogical genius or a hopelessly depressing gesture. Saying good-bye to “ALLELUIA” was deeply symbolic but also really sad!
I thought about Sr. Blanche’s banner as I sat in church on Divine Mercy Sunday. A visiting priest, whose own father is dying in Africa, dug deep and gave of himself and filled the church with Easter laughter. Interwoven throughout genuine messages of faith, hope and love was humor that brought the room to life and charged it with Christian joy.
Easter laughter is a long, and some might say strange, tradition of the Church. There was a time when the liturgy actually called for a good joke during the Easter homily! Laughter expresses joy, even our joy that He is Risen. Even in church, even at Mass! Laughter connects us with others who share our joy and expresses the end of our waiting, the consummation of our longing, the last of our days without alleluias.
We have dug up the “ALLELUIA.” He is risen, indeed!
A reflection about Easter laughter by Joseph Ratzinger can be found here.
Upcoming Events: April & May
The Catholic Transcript just ran a story about a talk Ruth Mulhern and I gave on aging as a time of spiritual growth. We’ll be giving the same talk on April 11 (see details below). Here’s the article:
My upcoming events for April and May are below. Remember, you can always check my Upcoming Programs by visiting my website (www.amyekeh.com) and clicking on “Retreats & Presentations” then “Upcoming Programs.”
Evening of Reflection: "The Spiritual Adventure of Our Later Years"
Have you ever thought about your later years as the greatest spiritual time in your life? While aging naturally presents us with challenges, there are ways to open our minds and hearts to new possibilities. Join us for an Evening of Reflection as we consider the graces available to us in our later years. We will also reflect on our “spiritual legacies” – the spiritual blessings we want to leave behind for future generations.
Presented by Amy Ekeh and Ruth Mulhern, R.N.
Mon., April 11, 2016, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Caritas Christi Retreat Center, Hamden, CT (295 Benham St.)
To register, call Sr. Jeanne Marie at 203-281-2569. A $20 donation is requested.
Scripture Workshop: "From Creation to the Cross: Exploring Biblical Perspectives on the Mystery of Human Suffering"
The diversity of ideas and perspectives we discover in Scripture includes a variety of approaches to human suffering. From the self-inflicted wounds of Adam and Eve to the redemptive wounds of Christ, Scripture opens to us an inner world of human questions and enduring truths. Together we will explore the lasting impact of sin, the agonizing search for answers, the challenge of authentic surrender, and at the heart of it all, the abiding love of God. Join us for an informative, thought-provoking and personally meaningful day of study and reflection as we investigate biblical perspectives on the mystery of human suffering.
Archdiocese of Hartford St. Thomas Seminary (467 Bloomfield Ave., Bloomfield, CT)
Sat., April 30, 2016, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
There is no cost for the morning.
This program is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Hartford's Catholic Biblical School but is open to anyone who is interested.
To register, contact B.J. Daly-Horrell at barbara.jean.horell@aohct.org or 860-242-5573 x2679 or email me at amyekeh@outlook.com.
Parish Morning of Reflection: "The Rosary of Our Lives"
Would you like to see the rosary in a new light? The rosary is not only the story of Jesus & Mary – it is also your story! This classic symbol of Catholic faith symbolizes your own life – the beads are like steps along life’s path. Your life has had its own “mysteries” – its own significant moments – sorrowful, joyful, glorious and luminous. Join us for a Morning of Reflection as we imitate Mary by pondering in our own hearts the presence of God in the “Rosary of Our Lives.”
Sponsored by St. Bridget/St. Thomas Becket Parishes, Cheshire, CT
St. Bridget Parish Center, 125 Main St., Cheshire, CT
Thurs., May 19, 2016, 9:00 a.m. - 12 p.m.
To register, call Sr. Patricia Cigrand at 203-272-6504.
All are welcome. There is no cost for the morning.
Women's Day of Reflection: "The Rosary of Our Lives"
Would you like to see the rosary in a new light? The rosary is not only the story of Jesus & Mary – it is also your story! This classic symbol of Catholic faith symbolizes your own life – the beads are like steps along life’s path. Your life has had its own “mysteries” – its own significant moments – sorrowful, joyful, glorious and luminous. Join us for a Day of Reflection as we imitate Mary by pondering in our own hearts the presence of God in the “Rosary of Our Lives.”
Sponsored by the St. Thomas Aquinas Mothers Prayer Group
Location: St. Margaret Shrine, Bridgeport, CT (a beautiful and very unique shrine!)
Wed., May 25, 2016, 8:15 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Registration is open to all interested women.
To register, email Renee at rmsacco@yahoo.com. Cost is $35 and includes breakfast and lunch.
Here I am with my friend and co-presenter, Ruth Mulhern, R.N. There is a picture of her next to "wit and wisdom" in the dictionary!
Siobhan's Last Two Stations
Several weeks ago, I posted my daughter’s Stations of the Cross. As I’m sure you noticed, she only wrote 12! She originally intended to end her prayer-poem with the death of Jesus. But another 12-year-old asked if Siobhan could write the final two stations so he could use the whole sequence at school. So she did!
Many of you responded enthusiastically to Siobhan’s Stations, so I wanted to share the final two with you. Below are all 14 stations.
A blessed Triduum and a very happy Easter to each of you, your families, and your communities. May our Lord richly bless you in these coming days as you eat with Jesus, allow him to wash your feet, follow him to the Cross, watch him die, wait with anticipation, and encounter him Risen.
“I : CONDEMNED- JUDGE
Stand before the crowd for me
What have you to say for thee?
No sound, no word to save his name
To end his pain, to stop his fate
Although his heart is pure and clean
He is condemned to endless sleep
II : CARRY- SPECTATOR
I watch them weave a crown of thorns
Hustle, heckle taunt and scorn
I watch them load your back with weight
Bitterness crossed with twisted hate
I want to end their cruel advance
But I do not move when I have the chance
III : FALLING- SOLDIER
You stumble yet we push you down
You cry but we ignore the sound
No one helps you when you fall
No one makes a move at all
I cannot help but feel for you
But when you’re down I do not move
IV : MEETING- MOTHER
So alone you stumble forth
They do not know what you are worth
So now, now when you say to me
“Courage, woman, for this must be”
I truly know that I must believe
For by your cross we are redeemed
V : HELP- SIMON
They push and pull me toward the tree
The heavy burden meant for thee
They grow impatient tired of
Your slow progress or lack thereof
They snatch me off the streets of ill
So I help you against my will
VI : FACE- VERONICA
Alone again he struggles on
They will nail him to the tree anon
I don’t have anything to give
But I cannot yet leave him
My hands I have and my veil in place
So at least I can wash your face
VII : FALLING AGAIN- PETER
I see you fall this time on rock
I cannot bare to see them mock
I have denied you thrice today
But still I love you, still I pray
That you’ll forgive me for I was weak
As you set on humble and meek
VIII : CRY- WOMAN
As he stumbles toward us still
He is not drained of his good will
Though it’s I who should help thee
You reach out and comfort me
You’ve been abandoned by your friends
But still you love until the end
IX : FALLING STILL- PHARISEE
This time he falls and does not rise
He is so close to his demise
That I can see the wasted land
Where they will nail his feet and hands
In spite of cards that fate has dealt
Why do you not save yourself?
X : ROBBED- JOHN
They take your clothes and leave you bare
Crown of thorns still in your hair
You wear those twigs like the king you are
And despite these horrid scars
I know you’ll come again someday
So that we can then be saved
XI : NAILED- MAN
This is my job and I’ve no choice
But I have yet to hear your voice
You do not protest when we stab
Your hands and then your side they jab
I cannot help but think and pray
Are you the king as they all say?
XII : MORTEM - CHRIST
Father father why have you
Abandoned me as I go through
I trust you, I do not doubt
The things you ask to carry out
With my last breath, I want all to hear it:
Into your hands I commend my spirit
XIII : TAKEN - APOSTLE
His body hangs limp on the tree
Broken skin bleeding for me
They take him down with faith and tears
As the space around them clears
Though we left you on that cross
You promised to come back for us
XIV : BURIED - FATHER
They lay your body in the tomb
My spirit fills up the ashen room
You did not let this cup pass by
And still the world does not know why
Nails were driven through your skin
To save your beloved from their sins
”