August 7, 2020
I do not know when we can gather together in worship, Lord.
But for now, I just ask that when I sing in my kitchen
It may be counted as praise...
And when I read the news and my heart tightens in my chest,
May it be counted as a Kyrie
When my eyes brighten behind my mask and I thank the cashier,
May it be counted a passing the sign of peace.
Dear Friends:
Many of us are familiar with the tradition of a pilgrimage to bless the ocean on August 15th, the feast of Mary’s Assumption. The practice is a beautiful blend of cultural celebration and religious devotion. But above all, it reveals the wedding of earth and heaven in the person of Jesus’ mother, where all creation is revealed as holy...as healing...as graced.
During COVID-19, we found ourselves “in exile” from life as we knew it. We ached for the comfort of touching one another...for the nourishment of Eucharist and the presence of community. At the same time, our homes became places of sacrament..of table and word...of seeing the faces of those given to us... of music and play and work made holy because of love. Even in isolation and grief, they became sanctuaries of prayer and conversation and true food.
Over the next few weeks, Cranaleith is offering opportunities to ponder the nearness of God in “this, our exile.” We will savor the beauty of image and word drawn from every culture and circumstance as we celebrate Mary... “our life, our sweetness and our hope.” We will learn to hear and create sacred sound, and recognize the wisdom unfolding both in our own sacred journeys, and in our society’s movement toward mercy and justice. And we will feast on the poured-out abundance of the garden.
Come, join us! Above all, know that we walk with you in prayer and love.
The Cranaleith Staff
When I water my plants and wash my dishes and take a shower
May it be counted as remembering my baptism
And when I eat one more homemade meal, slowly, gratefully
May it be counted as communion. Nadia Bolz-Weber
