For all the stay-at-homing and quarantining and not-having-anywhere-to-go-ing, it’s been hard somehow to “find the time” to write about Palm Sunday and my birthday last weekend. It’s not hard to find the time, it’s just hard to emerge from this state of bewilderment into any kind of coherence. I feel like I’m walking around in a fog.
Well, I’ll try, anyway. What a strange Palm Sunday. As he has been doing, my husband went out early in the morning before I was up and foraged for some breakfast for the children. I was greeted with loudly whispered happy birthday greetings while I was still making my way to consciousness, followed by the loud shushings of siblings trying to let me sleep in a little.
Paul went out and clipped some palm branches for all of us and we settled in on our benches to observe and participate in the Palm Sunday liturgy via the Diocese of Phoenix Youtube. They have been broadcasting Sunday masses for quite some time, but have also added daily masses during the pandemic. Natalie kept her nimble fingers busy during the homily weaving palm crosses out of the palm leaves.
It was strange and surreal to participate in this familiar and well loved liturgy while separated from our church family. Seeing the empty church was heart breaking. Hearing the voices of our shepherds and deacons, the beautiful strains of our church organ and sweet voice of the cantor, knowing how many hundreds of our church family were doing the same, apart yet together, brought gratitude in the midst of sorrow, for at least the technology we can use during this time. It’s so much more than many saints throughout history have had through long periods of spiritual separation from the sacraments.
After mass, Laurent came over and joined us for a simple meal followed by cake from Safeway that surely tasted like they used our family’s favorite Wacky Cake recipe. I was – and am – grateful to be surrounded by love. There’s no question, if I have to be “stuck at home” – this crew makes it so much better.
