Inspirtation and Meaning in Celebrating a LIfe After Passing

Last night I attended a wake service for Mark Pacione.  St Pius X church on York Road just north of the city/county border just outside Baltimore City was packed to standing room only.  The line of people waiting to say something to Carol Pacione and her family was amazingly long before the service and went for an amazingly long time after the service.  The church was supposed to close at nine.  There were still dozens of cars in the parking lot well after nine when Sherry and I left the building.

I have not been to many Catholic wake services.  But this was amazing.  I won’t claim this is a play-by-play recounting.  By to help me continue to process the passing of someone who was only 60, I am going to reflect on the elements on the evening I found most moving.

First, the church’s worship band played some prelude music and throughout the program.  Their prelude music—when I believe it is appropriate to have as many solos as they might like and the music is intended for contemplation—was lovely.  I quickly noticed that the piano was being played by someone other than the typical piano player these days.  The typical piano player is a wonderful person whose piano playing is usually a nice accompaniment to what the guitars are doing.  The piano player last night is just at a different level and added some improvisations that brought the music to life in a different way.  There may be some who would debate just how much improvisation there should be and how much the piano or the guitar should lead, but my personal preference is for the type of piano/guitar mix I heard last night. 

Second, the fact that the church was full was amazing—because nearly everyone sang.  It sounded like everyone sang even if there may have been a few listeners in the crowd.  That, more than anything else, made the evening an incredible one.  The opening song was Come Holy Spirit.  For those who believe there is such a thing as the Holy Spirit, there was no question of the presence of the Spirit last night.  Before the song, during the song, after the song, the entire time.  This part of the experience reminded me of Matthew 18:20  “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” The gathering last night was much more than two.  And God was certainly in our midst last night.

Third, the singing.  There was a version of Amazing Grace in the program that the worship band has played dozens of times.  And it usually played in a way with at least some of the verses of the original Amazing Grace being sung by a soloist with the congregation then singing the modern added refrain.  While the song started with only one singer from the band, the congregation quickly joined in.  (Not everyone was from St. Pius X and used to the way it is usually done.)  To hear the entire congregation sing out the verses of Amazing Grace with strong voices almost brought me to tears.  I had a hard time holding it together to sing.  But that is what worship and praise music means to me.  Worshipping as a congregation.  Praising God as a congregation.  In this case, celebrating the life of a great man as a congregation. 

Fourth, Father Sam Lupico was on fire.  His homily was amazing.  So much near shouting—for joy!  So much emotion.  So strong a representation of what everyone hopes will carry on long after Mark’s life. Even before the homily, when he read the Gospel he talked about switching from what was listed in the program to a reading from Matthew.  When he began the reading with “When he saw the crowds he, he went up on a mountain…” I knew where this was going.  He had preceded the reading with a comment on how discussion with the family had led to this reading.  I knew what the reading would be.  The Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes.  The Beatitudes that are written on the eight stained glass windows around the church.  The Beatitudes that Fr. Sam focuses on in his homilies even in weeks when we are not reading from Matthew 5.  The Beatitudes that, to paraphrase Fr. Sam, if anyone believed and lived them it was Mark.  Fr. Sam’s homily last night was the closest I have ever experienced to a Catholic revival.  Everyone cried and laughed and shouted Amen and understood just what Mark believed and lived.  It reminded me of a meeting for this year’s youth who will be confirmed at St. Pius X.  Mark had shown a video that led in with “don’t get confirmed, BE confirmed.”  In other words, live your faith.  And Mark certainly did that.

Fifth, there were several speakers who had the opportunity to make comments about Mark after the singing of Amazing Grace.  One focused on how mark was present for everyone.  I try to be present for everyone.  I know I fail sometimes.  But it was clear that Mark was able to capture that feeling of just being there for you.  I have already commented on the presence of the gathering last night.  It was wonderful.  I try to live my life with presence for others.  Being present has a lot to do with being a symbol of God for others—going back to being confirmed rather than just getting confirmed.  That goes along with recognizing God in others and living a life of gratitude when you tell others what you appreciate.  That symbol is a part of my goal (3) for the coming year (I talked about this on December 31, 2014)—to say thank you even for little things.  I was able to put that to work immediately after we left the church last night.  We stopped at the grocery store and I chose to go to a cashier rather than going through the self-check line.  The young man took the time to carefully and thoughtfully bag everything to use the smallest number of plastic bags and not risk crushing anything.  The care that he took was notable and I made sure to say “Thanks.  Not everyone does that.”  And he seemed to appreciate that.  A reminder that there is the opportunity to be grateful to and present for everyone in our lives. 

Sixth, one gentleman who had worked with Mark for more than 30 years including when Mark helped to organize World Youth Day in Denver and then the Pope’s visit to Baltimore in the 1990’s.  This gentleman commented that Mark is probably already on the planning committee for the Jesus’s second coming.  That got a laugh from the entire congregation.  Mark was an organizer. And could inspire others to work with him for the faith.

Seventh, the other thing that many mentioned was Mark’s focus on family, friends, and faith.  I have already discussed faith, the Holy Spirit, the gathering, and the presence that was felt at the church.  But it was clear that Mark also loved his family and was appreciated by many friends.  And the line between who was just a friend and who was part of Mark’s family was a very blurry one.  Everyone there last night was clearly family in some sense of the word.

Eighth, while at the service and waiting in line after the service to give my condolences to his family, I saw so many families and so many youth and young adults whom I had known for the 18+ years we have been at St Pius X—or at least as long as they had been alive.  Some of them I had taught when they were 9 or 10 or 12.  Others I had simply watched.  The passing brought together families in some amazing ways.  And seeing kids whom I have known for so long is always a heart warming experience. 

Ninth, it allowed me to connect with some friends in faith I have not seen for quite some time.  So important at a time like this.

Finally, when Sherry and I reached Mae and then Carol and her family the length of the hugs exchanged when there was nothing to say but “I’m here.”  Mae said “Thank you for being here.”  All I could think of to say was “Of course.”  And when I reached his daughter, I actually had a story to share.  I recalled her running the Chicago marathon.  I recalled both her mom and her dad being worried.  And I recalled the day when she did it as one on which there was tension and a sense of relief and pride when she finished.  She talked about her dad joining her to finish.  I talked about sharing my running with two of my three boys.  She also mentioned not running now as she is expecting and we joked about the very pregnant woman who had run the Chicago marathon and given birth almost immediately afterward.  That joking was a light moment.  But more importantly, the primacy of family lives on in a new generation who were already and will continue to be inspired by Mark’s example. 

Mark’s niece restated something that had been noted in the eulogies—keep saying Mark’s name to keep his spirit and all he stood for alive.  I don’t think there will be any shortage of thoughts and discussions of Mark in the coming week or weeks or even months or years.  And everyone last night will be inspired to keep the vision that he provided for the life of the laity in the Catholic church alive. 

What Speaks to Me

As a Catholic for nearly 45 years now, I have been to a lot of masses.  Yesterday, as with every Christmas or Christmas Eve during my lifetime, I went to mass to celebrate the birth of Christ.  Nothing unusual there.  The twist this year was that my 15 year old was invited to sing at the Church of the Resurrection (and Episcopalian church in Lutherville) at 4 before my family attended the Catholic mass at St Pius X at 6.  So, I attended two closely related celebrations one right after the other and had a chance to compare, among other things, music.  And what I am going to say is not a comment about the quality of the music and is not meant to imply how others should view the world.  It is simply a statement of what I find works (or doesn't work) for me in my own worship experience.

Let me set the context.  I grew up attending 8 AM mass at St Laurence's in Upper Darby with no music.  So, when I got to Penn State and found guitar players and flute players and singers at many masses, I was ecstatic.  (And on the third Sunday of Advent for at least one year they even had drums.)  The music ministry at St. Mary's in Ann Arbor also spoke to me, and I was a part of the music ministry at St. Pius X where we have now gone for over 18 years for more than 5 years.  I a not now as there are only so many hours in the day and I still love my running (which I had a chance to do this morning in shorts on Christmas Day in Baltimore!) and my writing and my work and my family most of all.  And the music ministry at St. Pius X has included guitars and pianos and electric keyboards and flutes and drums and electric basses.  All good.  But when I was part of the ministry, I didn't sing much.  (It was all I could do to play bass properly.)  And I really do love singing--even if I'm not all that good.  And I love the parts of the Nine Lessons and Carols that Maryland State Boychoir does where the congregation sings.  My father is a cantor at his church.  Clearly, singing is in the blood.

So, the service at Church of the Ressurection included two boys (my son being one of them) singing Once in Royal David's City, my son soloing O Holy Night, and multiple songs sungs by the congregation including four during Communion.  Three Carols and one modern song called "Here I Am to Worship".  The final carol was Silent Night--sung by flicker-light.  They tried candles last year but realized that was dangerous at a family mass.  During Silent Night the last verse was acapella.  And everyone in the small church (it seated maybe 150) sang.  And it was beaitful.  I was touched emotionally.  I got a little choked up.  And I nearly shed a tear.  This was worship.  This was ministry.  This was people who clearly cared singing about something in which they all believed.

I contrast that with the music at St. Pius X.  The musicians did a wonderful job.  They used modern interprations of some carols and the response between readings was an easy to follow and easy to sing song.  The modern interpretations are interesting to listen to but sometimes challenging to sing when all that is provided are lyrics and not music.  And O Holy Night was sung as a meditation after communion with no opportunity to sing along.  So people listened.  I listened.  It was a very good performance.

But the key is the difference between the two descriptions of what I experienced back to back.  Worship or performance?  Can there be performance that facilitates worship?  Can there be worship without participation?  Is active listening a form of participation?

These are the questions I ponder about my appreciation of music ministry.  St. Pius X now has a "tagline" of invite, transform, act.  So, rather than complaining about the music, I am just making an observation.  And I am challenging myself.  If I like how other church's music ministries feel because they involve more singing by the congregation, whom do I have to invite to make this happen at St Pius X?  (It is not my job only of course.)  Do I have to invite other parishioners to sing out?  Do I have to invite the music ministers to think about the many different ways people are reached?  Do I have to invite myself to being more open to thinking abou how music affects me?

What needs to be transformed?  The music ministry?  My appreciation?  The culture of the parish?  If participation is the key there are many different ways to get there.  And I have to remember that in the same way that running means different things to many different people I know, maybe participation does too.  I am not the only person with a stake in this.  I am not the most knowledgable.  I am not even an authority.  I am just one voice.  And a voice who would like to be heard--singing in worship.

And finally, to act.  I'm not sure what action needs to be taken other than that I will continue to sing at every opportunity I get and encourage others who share my faith and who share my worship experience to do the same.

May all be inspired to sing with joy on this day. 

Fascinating Ideas

So, I've kept right on running since my last blog entry.  In fact, I have run ever day including and since Thanksgiving Day (on which I did the 5K Turkey Trot) and every day but one since Saturday November 22, the day before the Philadelphia Marathon.  With all that running I am up to 2123.1 miles and trying to aim for a total of 2222 at the end of the year 17 days from now.

In any case, this morning we went to the early mass at which we heard Fr. Burnham tell us about how we should be the light in our worlds and how we are faced with accepting who we are.  He made the observation that it has been human nature ever since the story of the Garden of Eden when everything was provided in abundance, to always reach beyond and to try to reach what was intended to be limited and not available.

Then, I attended the "Parent Connection" activity for parents while children are at religious education in the St. Pius X parish.  This was the third time that the director of religious education has led a session like this.  Today's session was the smallest (only 4 parents) but it was, nevertheless, a great session.

The topic was how to talk with our children about the role of women in the church.

What was most interesting to me was the fact that there was a clearer explanation of the Catholic church's position at present and the fact that it was not the result of a statement made under papal infallibility.

What was even more interesting was the way the director of religious education recast the question.  Yes, we can ask whether having women be ordained in the Catholic church would help to minimize the shortage of priests the Catholic church faces at the moment.  However, the even more important questions could be "what is the role for everyone who is not an ordained priest?" and "how should women be included in higher levels of decision making in the Catholic church?"

There are a few roles that only priests are eligible to perform in the Catholic church.  But, our parish is a great example of how the role of administering a church and leading a church community can be undertaken by a woman (we have had a female pastoral life director for over a decade) while the priest focuses more specifically on the sacramental aspects of his work.

What I also thought about was the ways in which I had experienced women in important roles in my spiritual life throughout my life and the ways in which I have chosen to express this.

Clearly, my tattoo shows St. Sebastian (a man) depending on Irene (a woman) to rescue him after he was shot by archers.  I have reflected multiple times on how, in my life, I have been helped in general (as well as in my spiritual life) by women.

My mother recommended strongly that I join the Newman Student Association at Penn State.

Many of my closest friends in Newman were female.

There was an important female ministerial presence in my experience at both Penn State and Michigan.

The people with whom I have had the deepest conversations about faith and life in Baltimore have been women.

The pastoral life director already mentioned.

All but one of the individuals who has led the children and/or youth ministry program at St. Pius X in our time here have been female.

Obviously, my wife has been a great influence on my spiritual life.

I have written about it.

I show it every time anyone can see my right calf.

And so, I don't have any reason to suspect that women cannot be as important a light to the world in the priesthood of all believers as men can.  In fact, my experience points to women being just as important.

So, my own outlook says there is no reason to think that women cannot be an important part of spiritual life with unique insights that could add something important to decisions made by the Catholic church.  I will continue to rely on women in my life to help with my own spiritual journey.  I don't feel a strong need to debate whether women should be ordained in the Catholic church.  That is a debate for another day.  What I do think is that the church should continue to redefine ways in which to involve women in the most important discussions and most important ministries of the church.  If anyone ever needs convincing of the importance of women in spiritual life, in shaping spiritual life, in making decisions about how to strengthen spiritual life, in making decisions about how to minister based on spiritual life, and to be the light for the world that Fr. Burnham suggested this morning, I have a long list of testimonials I could provide. 

The Spirituality of Advent, Christmas Day

So, it is 1 AM Christmas morning.  All the presents are under the tree.  99% of the dishes from Christmas Eve dinner have either been washed by hand or are in the dishwasher which is running as I write.  Dinner was a hit with all members of my family and with Kelsey.  We had Kelsey over the for afternoon during which she and Christopher walked the dog before we took the dog to the kennel and they got a great picture, she prepped for the music for mass with Christopher, she played Life with Daniel, and she then played flute at mass before enjoying dinner and gift exchange with us.

After dinner (quicker on Christmas Eve this year than most in the past) I took Joshua to an Anglican church where he was part of the choir that sang at a 10 PM mass including some carols before and the mass ended at around 11:30.  Since I had to drive home, I have not been able to shut down my mind.

So, since I have an interesting set of take away messages from the Catholic and Anglican services I attended yesterday, I figured I would just write.  Then get more sleep tomorrow.

In any case, the one common theme in both masses (particularly the homilies in each)--connection.

So, first let me talk about what I heard from Father Ray Chase at St Pius X at the 6 PM mass.  Father Ray first commented in his homily on how we still have all the trappings and activities that are associated with Christmas but we don't use the term Christmas so much. It is just "holiday this and that" rather than "Christmas this and that".  This, as he put it, suggests a lack of connection to anything with real meaning behind it, in other words, no connection to the "reason for the season".  

So, he suggested that he called the parable of the string after pulling a string from his wallet.  In his interpretation, Jesus is like a string.  He connects people--or ties them together.  He had more to say than the short synopsis I will give but he basically drew a line from overcoming a lack of connection to understanding to an outpouring of love to the world being a better place.  To me this relates to being a part of something bigger.  That is what leads to connection.  And when that happens, we connect with spirituality.  And when that happens, we can move behind many types of hard feelings as we are all on a path to being joined together.  He even commented that feeling connected and loved was a pretty basic human need and emotion.  Nothing at all religious about that.  A simple statement of a human need to feel fulfillment.  Without it, life is not the same.  With it, we can overcome many things.  

Father Ray also commented on how disconnected some of us are from ourselves.  In other words not feeling good about ourselves.  And he noted that feeling connected to Christ can help us to feel better about ourselves.  Thus, the importance of connection to God and connection to each other through our faith community.

Thinking back over the past month, I thought about connections to family, parish, music, and running.  Family these days starts with Sherry, includes our sons (of course), and includes Kelsey in many ways.  Particularly when we are lucky enough to have her come with us to a church experience.

Then, after the mass at our parish and dinner, I took Joshua to sing at an Anglican church. Just two days ago I was not completely pleased with having to go to Lessons and Carols a second time in a weekend.  But it turned out to be an incredible experience to see it a second time.  So, today, someone had to be responsible for taking Kelsey home and someone had to take Joshua.  While we originally thought of Sherry taking Joshua I ended up doing that.  

I especially enjoyed hearing him sing a solo verse of Once in Royal David's City that he had not sung at the Lessons and Carols celebration.  That was a real treat to hear my son sing that.  

Then, the service itself was very similar (but not identical) to the Catholic mass including a Gloria arranged by David Haas.  

Then, we got to the message after the gospel reading.  The Reverend David Drake made a really interesting point.  He mentioned that for the shepherds in the field who were told by the angels of the birth of a savior that the angels would have been a real surprise but the idea of having an unblemished child wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger would actually not have been a foreign concept to them.  That was interesting.  His logic was that these were shepherds who would have been caring for the sheep who would be used as the Passover sacrifice.  These had to be unblemished lambs.  How do shepherds keep lambs unblemished when they are born?  By wrapping them in swaddling cloths and putting them in a manger.  Thus, this was a sign of what type of savior had been sent.

The Reverend was pointing out that God had found a way to communicate with the shepherds in a way that they would understand.   (Being in a business school now I thought of it as a study in marketing...)

The key was connection.

So, there are things about being connected to people and God connecting to people in ways they understand that provide good lessons for me.

In running (where all this blogging began), it means figuring out what matters to my fellow runners, being part of the running community, and then building relationships with my fellow runners from there.  It can be something as little as just deciding on a given Tuesday to run at the speed of others on the track just to help them or just carrying on a conversation for the better part of a 2 hour run.

For family--the most important source of connections--it means knowing what matters to my family and building on things that matter to both me and my family members to help us all move forward.

For teaching religious education, it is engaging in connection with parents of the children in my class  in a way that I have started to this year but never did before.  

But the key throughout is connection.  Connection to others.  Connection to God.  Connection to the other parts of the Holy Trinity.  And a realization that without the connections life is so much less.  And a realization of all that the connections can bring.  Connections to something bigger.  Something perfect.  Something that makes life more fulfilling and opens the doors to a spiritual life that are not open when one does not seek and take part in connections.  

Easter Mass

Just a quick note today.  Father Sam had his walker at church toda.  I worry about his health.  However, it was not the fact that he was using his walker that caught my attention the most.  What caught my attention the most was his multiple efforts to make everyone feel welcome.  He said that he was not concerned about people showing up only once in a while.  He mentioned that not everyone may be fully engaged.  But he noted that everyone is welcome.  What a wonderful message.  What a gift--on the day we celebrate the greatest gift of all from God.  

Music also went quite nicely today.

It will be interesting to see how St. Pius X as a parish and the Catholic church as a whole under the new leadership can continue to make people feel welcome.  

Looking at Today's Catholic Mass Reading as a Runner

Today's reading for those who attend a Catholic mass is Hebrews 12:1-4

Brothers and sisters:Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to usand persevere in running the race that lies before uswhile keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,the leader and perfecter of faith.For the sake of the joy that lay before himJesus endured the cross, despising its shame,and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

What caught my attention about today's reading was when it got to, "and persevere in running the race that lies before us." I don't often think of Jesus as running (a race or otherwise) and I realize that the part about running is for the sake of imagery and symbolism, but it is a wonderful image. Having faith in both the highest times and the lowest times is something that can cause some people to grow weary and lose heart (see near the end). Running a very long race is something during which a runner knows the joy that lays before him but also knows that he must endure. So, the images that are used here are definitely images to which I can relate as I try to strengthen (realizing I will never perfect) my faith. I also know that my races have been relatively easy ones (even my marathons in comparison with some people I know) and I have not had to work to the point of literally or symbolically shedding blood.

It is days like this when I try to break open the word and think about how it relates to me and how I can bring my experiences to what I read to help me understand how the wisdom of what I read fits into my life that I am amazed.

Ruach--the Spirit of God

Today, at the 5:30 mass that my family regularly attends and at which I play electric bass in the worship band, our priest talked about the Ruach--or the creative spirit of God.  I hope that this is a correct use of the term as it is Hebrew and from the Old Testament, so I can't vouch for the interpretation other than what I heard and other than how it was interpreted in turn by a Catholic priest.

In any case, he talked about it with respect to Genesis.  And since today the Catholic church celebrates the baptism of Jesus, he also talked about it with respect to the conception of Jesus.

What was interesting to me was his reminder to each of us that God's creative spirit is in each of us.  And that in this broken world (perhaps more broken these days but adrift from God's plan ever since Adam and Eve), each of us is called upon to help to fix the world.  And each of us is called upon to figure out how to put to work the gifts that we have been given through God's creative spirit in order to help the world.

I thought about all the opportunities I have had to date and all the opportunities that may come my way in the near future.  Some of them are about creativity.  Some of them are about persistence.  Some of them are about intensity.  All of these are gifts that the creative spirit of God has given to me.    Even the tattoo I have is a sign (in my mind) of a creative spirit.  My creative spirit of things I wanted to pull together.  The artist's creative spirit in what she brought to the design.  And the story of a saint and the person who rescued him who each used the gifts given by God.  

As I continue with my contemplative prayer life, I will continue to try to connect the dots of what I hear each Sunday with my actions, my life, and my future.

Three Well Chosen Readings

Each Catholic wedding has the potential to be a unique experience.  At least among people I know, the bride and groom working with the priest who will celebrate the wedding mass have a chance to choose the readings.  A Catholic mass typically includes one reading from the Old Testament, one reading from the New Testament that is not part of the Gospel, and a Gospel reading.  Each couple has many reasons for choosing the readings they do.  Each couple is at a unique point in their lives in terms of their understanding of their faith and their understanding of themselves.  The choice of readings was guided by both for me and Sherry 20+ years ago when we planned our wedding.  We were just two people of an age we now refer to as "kids" (22 at the time we were married) who had attended mass regularly, had some exposure to what was called CCD at the time (Sherry having more than me), and had been involved in the campus ministry while in college.  At Jackie and Patrick's wedding (at a slightly later point in their lives with a different background in exposure to and working with their faith) the choices were clearly inspired by their understanding of themselves and their faith.  And, as I am clearly one who thinks about how the words I am hearing from the Bible relate to the current day (myself or, in this case, those whose wedding is being celebrated) I projected from the readings onto my own life experiences and the lives of the two beautiful individuals getting married.

The first reading was Micah 6:6-8

With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow before God most high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old? 

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with myriad streams of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my crime,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 

You have been told, O mortal, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do justice and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

I have never known Jackie and Patrick to be anything but humble.  Quiet--not necessarily.  Shy--definitely not.  But wonderful examples of humility before everyone and focused so much on the lives of others.  Giving not to be noticed but because it is right and it all comes from their hearts.

The second reading was from the letter to the Hebrews (12:1-3)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us 

while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. 

Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

As I heard this one, I looked around at the packed chapel on Loyola's campus (where Jackie and Patrick had met, gotten engaged, and were getting married) where they were surrounded by a cloud of witnesses as two people whose eyes are truly fixed on Jesus.  Running races (both figuratively and literally) is something they do a lot and endurance (whether the opposition of sinners as mentioned in the reading or, more, in a running race) is an important part of their lives.

Finally, the Gospel reading was Luke 24: 13-35, the story of the Road to Emmaus.  I won't copy and paste the whole thing (it is a long reading) but there is a link above.  It mentions that the disciples were walking a distance of seven miles when they came upon the person they did not recognize as Jesus at first.  In the reading, they ended up walking seven miles to Emmaus and seven miles back--14 miles or just over the distance of a half marathon.  Yes, my brain actually went to thinking about how it was like an "out and back" course that the two disciples ended up walking.  What else did I think about?  Jackie conducts many of the orientations for community members who want to be new participants in Back on My Feet.  I remember that she told us to try to remember to say hello to as many people as possible when out on our runs.  Just to be polite.  Just to try to brighten people's day.  Whether the person was homeless, outside a shelter of some sort, at a bus stop, or at Health Care for the Homeless.  There are many popular stories about how a person might come to meet Jesus or someone representative of the qualities of Jesus in a modern setting and overlook that person.  This is where I connected the story.  When we are out running with Back on My Feet, we never know who we will meet on the road.  We never know what type of difference we might make for the people we meet or what type of difference they may make for us.  We never know who might be able to demonstrate for us and share with us the grace of God.  In fact, we never know anywhere in our lives when we will come upon a sign from God or the second coming of Jesus himself.  Yet we should always be open to it.  And the disciples, once they realized that they had seen Jesus, did the second half of their "course" quickly and shared all the news when they returned.  Again, so closely similar to the experience of many runners who share stories about what they saw, who they experienced, and how they felt when they get back from a run.  And this relates to Jackie and Patrick not only because a half marathon distance is something with which they both are familiar but also because I know that they live their lives in a way that shows they are always open to receiving God's grace.  To welcoming a stranger.  To extending hospitality to a stranger.  To listening.  To relating.  And to sharing stories of the little things and most important things in life.

Their three readings were well chosen for them.  And their three readings served as a reminder for me. Of how incredible my two friends are.  And of the importance of living a life of humility, perseverance, and openness to the grace of God every day.