Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Things Get Broken (mid-week)

 
 
Fr. Tony’s Mid-week Message
April 22, 2015
Things get Broken
 
I have a lot of small tasks mounting up on my to-do list at home: in addition to the garden, most are repair of small things that have gotten broken or are showing signs of wear. This cabinet door hinge needs to be rehung; that clothes hanging rack needs to be reattached to the wall. Things were all great, but now they seem with increased rapidity to get broken and need fixing. And they must be fixed properly, just making it look fixed while not addressing the broken part (stripped screws, broken wood base) will only make the matter worse in a few days.  I guess it is a day-to-day example of the scientific principle of entropy: things tend toward disorder and dispersion of energy. 
 
In our relationships, and in our spiritual life, we also need to fight entropy. Things get broken, and they need to be fixed. This might be a bit more time just listening to each other, or maybe letting someone else have her way, or perhaps more meditation and prayer. Since today is Earth Day, I might note that repairing the atmosphere or the biosphere is one of the great challenges and callings of our day. 
 
Leonard Bernstein’s Mass has as its fraction anthem (the hymn sung when the Eucharist Host is broken) a song “How Easily Things get Broken.” 
 
Healing and reconciliation is the message of Easter and of the Holy Eucharist.  It starts with small repair jobs, done properly. 
 
Grace and peace,  Fr. Tony+
 

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