Feels Like Coming Home

With many people not able to physically come together with their loved ones this Christmas, sometimes it can help to live this experience vicariously, appreciating
and even enjoying the experiences of others. I find this helpful myself when at times I feel lonely, and I hope you can also.

One example is the beautiful experience hundreds of us had last weekend in watching the Advent Lessons & Carols put together lovingly by members of our Collaborative Parishes under the musical and technological coordination of one of our music directors, Jillian
Carelli. While most of the voices singing and proclaiming God’s Word were recorded separately, they were brought together in unity and harmony for us to experience like a combined choir. This experience of everyone connecting, from longtime lay ministers to first time vocalists, with spouses, siblings, and members of our children’s choir, gave the feeling of our Parish Families being all together! Our Lessons & Carols is still available online on our YouTube and Facebook pages (links can be found on www.pwc.church). We
are grateful for all of their contributions and Jillian’s hard work for giving us this sense of unity within our faith families that will tide us over until we can all come together in person.

Another example of vicarious unity with God and others comes from when we celebrated Masses for the Immaculate Conception of Mary earlier in Advent.  Two adult friends came to that particular Mass together, which Fr. Lambert and I later learned was the first time each of them had come to Mass in person since March. For whatever reason they felt ready to try coming in person at a smaller gathering, and their experience was inspiring – for us as well as for them. The peace and joy they felt at being in church, and the
strength and consolation of being able to receive the Eucharist in Communion after so long was so powerful! It reminded me of how many others who returned to church in June shared their emotional experiences of coming back to church for the first time. These friends were both beaming as they left, and like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, they just had to tell somebody about their experience of the Lord in the Breaking of the Bread.

Many people have signed up for Christmas Masses, and with the limited seating we are able to offer inside, some Masses are already full upstairs; seats are still open downstairs or “drive-in” style with Communion available by walking up to the church. Those of us who participate need to bring our usual love and hospitality for all who join us. They are most likely here because they really feel the need for Jesus this Christmas, and you may be the presence of Jesus welcoming them home.

Sadly, many of us are not ready yet to return to church or gatherings with loved ones until the virus is more under control. Yet rather than dwell on the melancholy of not being able to participate directly, we can all appreciate – and even vicariously enjoy – these kinds of experiences shared by others. We are in the midst of a special Year of the Eucharist in our archdiocese that Cardinal Seán has proclaimed. May we all find many ways to cherish our unity with Christ and our church family so that this Christmas will feeling like coming home for those far and near!