Taking care in the kitchen

Rule of St. Benedict

Chapter 31 – the cellarer should look on the vessels and goods of the cellar as if they were consecrated vessels of the altar.

There is challenge there for me. As a sacristan, I am privileged to prepare the vessels for consecration at the altar and then to clean and prepare them for the next Eucharist after the mass has ended. We treat them with respect, care and reverence (except when the wine goblets are in the dishwasher) at all times. We wash, dry and polish them with deliberation and with the recognition they are intended to contain the most presence essence in the universe.

 The dishes that are waiting for us in the sink are not quite as well cared for as the Eucharistic vessels and there is a lesson there for me to learn. Those dirty dishes are meant to contain nourishment for a temple created by God to contain a Soul that is loved by God and through his grace will be saved by the Holy Spirit. If I can keep that in mind then perhaps I will come just a little closer to the challenge from Benedict to give reverence to God in and for all that we do all the time.

The Ascension

 As they watched, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight, alleluia.







The long run from Ash Wednesday to Pentecost Sunday is nearly over. Today is the Ascension of the Lord and I dwelled much of the week on what it must have been like for the disciples as the day of the Ascension approached. Think about the emotional ride they would have been on for last 6 weeks. First came the glorious entrance into Jerusalem. Next came the moving but likely very confusing unfolding of the Last Supper. Immediately after that came the arrest, the trial and finally the Crucifixion. We know that despite all the efforts Jesus made to warn us about what would happen, we, they, could not believe that the when Jesus died, everything was ended. Jesus was just another in a long line of charismatic prophets and rebels who fell under the tried and true Roman understanding that if you kill the leader, you kill the movement. Then something unbelievable happened. The tomb was found empty. Jesus was seen alive first by a few and then by many. A disheartened, emotionally crushed and hopeless band of followers dared to believe again. To hope again. To finally begin to understand the message and they message they were born to carry. The Mass readings this week come to mind, particularly yesterday when the John wrote how Jesus told them how much more he had to tell them but the disciple’s mind just could not absorb any more and they would have to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit to reveal the rest of the truth to them that they needed to learn.

Finally we come today. I have tried to imagine what it must have been like for them to stand and watch as Jesus was lifted up and left their sight. We will read in coming days they were ready for him to leave them because he really was not just gone, just out of sight for the moment. He was still with them but, more importantly, we learn from Augustine, that they were with him as well.

Even knowing what was to come, I wonder what they were thinking. Excitement? Anticipation? Sorrow? I supposed the best answer is that they experienced a wide variety of conflicting emotions at the same time.