There are a few different themes we can glean from today’s readings…hope, belief, trust and faith in God’s miraculous healing through opening our hearts. An essential message is the healing power of faith. Our faith in the Divine can be so very comforting during these very troubling, uncertain and dangerous days. Yet we may find ourselves despondent and overwhelmed. We may think that our prayers are falling on deaf ears as we watch the numbers of those afflicted with or who have lost their lives to the Coronavirus grow by the minute. God is still and always in our midst, sharing in our heartbreak. When perhaps traditional prayer may fail us from time to time (and that’s okay!), it may help to remember that prayer and faith in God can take different forms. One way is recalling that being in relationship with others during these difficult times; opening our hearts and our spirits to the different ways God invites us into God’s unconditional and abundant love. We are all acutely aware how essential it is to social distance from one another to protect ourselves and others, but community and sharing experiences together (albeit virtually) are VITAL to our spiritual, physical and emotional well-being.
As we search for ways to stay healthy, safe and in good spirits these days, dance has always been an activity that promotes wellness by strengthening our immune systems through muscular actions and physiological processes. Dance can help us moderate, eliminate or avoid stress, tension and fatigue. Dance heals and gives us a sense of control in our lives. It can be a form of prayer through movement and can nurture and mend our souls.
The Office of Mission, Ministry & Interfaith Dialogue at St. Francis College invites you to access the link below and watch this video of our human family dancing…with sheer joy. Make it full screen, turn up the volume and smile! No matter where we are, what language we speak, or the religion we practice, we come together as a community through our shared practices, rituals and gestures. It’s especially poignant to watch, knowing that right now so many of our sisters and brothers in cities and countries around the world are undergoing this pandemic with us. We hope you will watch, pray and dance along and find comfort and healing today and each day forward.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
May He show His face to you and have mercy.
May He turn His countenance to you and give you peace.
The Lord bless you.
- Blessing of St. Francis to Brother Leo
Timothy Nagy, MTh
Joel Warden, PhD
Joseph Bach, OSF
Alexandria Egler, PhD
Loved it. Just what I needed.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely stunning! Such perfect, universal joy!!
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