“Isn’t media technology a blessing?” I never imagined I would find myself saying that as often as I have in these past few weeks. On the other hand, I never imagined that this year I’d be watching not just Sunday mass, but Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter services on television, along with so many priests, sisters and laity throughout the world.
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| Worshiping virtually with other Dominican sisters |
Everyone has
had to cancel plans to travel and/or spend time with friends and relatives at
Easter. At the CDN we abandoned plans to
celebrate the Triduum at the Mound with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, and
had to settle for a virtual Easter get-together with our SPOP sisters, Jessica
and Janice, who continue to shelter in place with their sisters at the
Providence Mother House in Terre Haute. While
we’re grateful for instructors and guest speakers who’ve enabled ICN meetings
and classes at Aquinas to continue on Zoom, we all miss praying, learning and spending
time with each other. I know I am not
the only one who has felt more deeply connected to the women and men who
followed Jesus to Jerusalem and on Holy Saturday found themselves living with
loss, fear and uncertainty.
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| Holy Thursday – wheat, wine and the Word |
Yet, with
technology, the rhythms of the holy days continued, and at the CDN they offered some unexpected gifts. With the time we saved by staying home we
were able to join women in formation and discernment in a virtual Palm Sunday
retreat led by the Dominican Sisters of Peace vocations team, and a virtual,
preached Holy Week retreat hosted by the Dominican Sisters of Adrian Weber
Retreat Center.
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| Holy Thursday Dinner |
I had more
reason than ever to be deeply grateful for the blessing of extra time to devote
to prayer and reflection during this canonical year. I was able to devote several hours each day to
the retreat conferences themselves and to the Gospel passion stories they
featured. An earlier lecture on Feminist
Biblical Interpretation by Sr. Barbara Reid, OP, and Lorraine’s reflection day
workshop on Mary Magdalene added so much depth to my reflections on and
connection with the women who witnessed Jesus’s passion and proclaimed his
resurrection.
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| Easter Sunday - light and life |
Of course,
we also had fun, and a lot of laughter when we realized that with masses,
retreats, and an evening watching Godspell we had heard or read the
Passion nine times that week! We
enjoyed hot cross buns on Good Friday, decorated eggs on Saturday, and judiciously
pruned our flowering tree to bring the beauty of God’s creation into our home
for Easter. Choosing to stick with our
effort to minimize grocery shopping as much as possible, we collaborated on
creative menus, using what we already had for holiday meals that may have been
more delicious because of that choice.
Not exactly washing each other’s feet, but these days perhaps an even
more practical and meaningful way of serving each other and our neighbors.
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| Decorating Easter eggs |
All of us at the CDN wish you the blessings of peace, health
and joy in the risen Lord during this Easter season.
