For this week, a PS

Yesterday at mass, I solved two riddles that had been niggling me for sometime.  I did that by facing the issues and speaking directly with the people concerned.  On one, I realized how wrong I was in my assumption and apologized.  On the other, I received an explanation for what was happening, allowing me to accept and deal in a new way with circumstances.  In both cases, I could move on.  

The key was taking the risk in communicating directly.  As Francis often urges us, engage in encounter. 

Both issues intrigue me.  Firstly, I engaged people within the context of the mass, for that is where the issues arose.  In doing so, I have to remain focused on the dynamics of power for it is not just John talking, but John, the priest.  I never seek to abuse that power in the relationship, nor would I do so intentionally.  As I say, I am about order, not control.  

The latter issue intrigues me even more so, as I did not realize, until after raising it publicly, that it has arisen due to our Covid world.  It was a classic case of I "couldn't see the forest for the trees".  

For the past few weeks, I have been watching a sudden change in how people take communion.  More and more people were taking the host and going to the side to stand and consume it.  This new practice was attracting my attention as it was creating a blockage in the movement of people in the communion line.  Why was it happening?  Was it one person following another?  

I was so blinded by watching the new pattern of movement that I could not see its cause, which made sense of what I was observing.  Fact is that with wearing masks in Covid times, people need space to stand and remove the mask so as to take communion.  I could not see that.  All I could see was the disturbance being caused to the movement of people at mass.  My focus was the disturbance to movement before me, not the reason for any change in people's movement.  Reality is this change arose due to Covid times with people wearing masks.  .  

Amazing!  Who would ever think that Covid impacts upon our life in such detail, even in receiving communion?  This small example shows how Covid is making its presence felt, changing our world, changing our church.  

In these days, I must keep my eyes open to arising new realities.  I can be so blind.  In this case, I could not see because of where I keep my focus.  That is so me.  Through encounter with others, I could change my focus and see the wider picture, see why the change was happening.  It then made sense and I could deal with the change in a more relaxed and open way.  This shows me how we so need each other to see and understand our reality in clearer ways.  Encounter matters, letting us operate together more easily for and with each other.  It does work.