"By washing his disciples' feet at that meal, (Jesus) revealed how to recognize a great lover. The greater the love, the greater the desire to be of service, even in the most humble of actions. Also, Jesus said, loving, humble service is the most powerful cure for the deadly virus of power and prestige."
Edward Hays, "The Lenten Labyrinth"
Interesting to think of the "deadly virus" of power and prestige in the midst of the deadly virus of Covid-19, isn't it? Fr. Ed Hays wrote the Labyrinth in 1994 and it is timeless. But, we used to think that power and prestige were worthwhile things to work toward, didn't we? I remember thinking it was important to achieve, to succeed, to have your name on the door. That is all very first-half-of-life-stuff, as Richard Rohr would point out. I sure don't ever remember receiving any advice on how to climb back down the success ladder, do you? But, here I am, desiring more to humbly serve than to achieve. To live simply. To live generously. How do we humbly serve each other in the midst of this pandemic? How do we figuratively wash each others' feet when we're supposed to stay six feet apart? I think we need to take quiet time and really listen to God. God's probably not going to shout to be heard over our fifth hour binge-watching Hulu, though. God's gentle whisper can often only be heard in the still silence. Certainly, God wants us to flatten the curve, as we hear so often. But what else can we do? I think noticing what organizations are doing real, boots-on-the-ground work in your community and supporting them, is helpful. Reaching out and checking on others who are alone in this, is another thing we can do. Sending little love notes to people we may not often correspond with is an act of love. Washing each others' feet in this crazy time is a challenge for sure! But it is what we are asked to do right now. Listening to God, in the silence of our inner rooms, is one way to get ideas of how we can help. Blessings and love on this Holy Thursday, heidi
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