A Good Friday

Last year after Easter, I decided that I would clean up the choir loft, which is used for overflow seating before this years service. The place seems to be a breeding ground for unused Christmas wreaths and carpet. Last year all of us who got stuck in the loft, had to struggle over this stuff to find a place to sit. Of course being me (is there a patron saint for procrastination?) I waited till yesterday. Loyal LaReina offered to help me with the job. After begging some teenage boys to carry extra chairs up for us we began the process of moving the accumulation of stuff that is up there and trying to create some order. We made great progress moving all but the huge organ that while unused has for some reason been placed just slightly off center up there. I have persuaded my hubby to help me with that today. When we were done grunting, groaning and giggling we took a break to enjoy the view from our now comfortable perch. We soon found our selves coming up with ideas for next year, how to drape the cross and statues, how to strip the alter on Holy Thursday etc... I think we both felt surprised to hear ourselves thinking aloud that maybe it is time to step up and help the elderly women who's job it's always been. It is easy to giggle over their imagined response to certain things, to sigh over their seeming obsession with the proper way to do things. Harder to step up and offer to help, to realize that we are being called to become those ladies. This realization brought us both to silence. After a few moments, I felt it...We both did...... A presence. For me it was the culmination for what this week is about. That desire to be of service to others. It is what we are called to do everytime we receive Jesus at communion. As Father said "When we take him in, we take in all that he stands for.... We ask how can I be Christ for you" We are called to see past race, religion and status. We are called love the least of our brothers more than ourselves, We exist to share their burdens and to serve. The feeling only seemed to last a few minutes (till LaReina's alarm went off to let us know that an hour had passed) What an unexpected blessing
High up in the near empty church , I was rewarded with the real gift of His presence