Rachel Mash

FAST4EARTH – HOW HAVE YOU COPED SPIRITUALLY WITH 2020? Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Proverbs 5;15  “Spirituality is that aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred”. (Christina Puchalski) COVID19 is a battle for our souls, a “spiritual battle for the 21st century” Never in our lives did we think we would see our churches closed, be unable to receive the sacraments, be unable to attend the funerals of our loved ones.  We have suffered the painful loss of not being able to gather and fellowship, we have missed our great Festivals of Christmas and Easter in some countries twice. COVID-19 limits religious freedom but kindles faith Human beings tend to turn to prayer in a time of crisis. Unfortunately, religious gatherings were closed.  Some people felt hopeless : “Oh God, where do we go now”. It has been amazing how much creativity has been unleashed, online services, bible studies, webinars. The reality is that many people are limited by access to data, but others have been able to attend services all over the world and find spiritual inspiration. People were able to attend Bible studies without needing baby sitters. Those who didn’t have transport or find it to dangerous to go out at night could attend evening meetings.  People joined virtual choirs in different parts of the world A call to pray from home gives more  responsibility to non-ordained members. Praying from home makes us realise that we can have access to God through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:18. It helps us to understand that the family altar,  family members praying together in their homes is also the real Church (Body of Christ) in a spiritual sense. The call to pray from home equally assures God’s presence in line with what Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew 18:20: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them’.  Church buildings shut, but the church was still open. Many people have developed new spiritual rhythms, finding blog posts that resonate with their soul,  or new personal practices of prayer, spiritual music or meditation. They are learning to drink from their own cisterns… For many people, reconnecting with nature this year has drawn them closer to God, working in a small home garden or taking walks or hikes in nature. “As G. K. Chesterton observed, “A religion is not the church [one] goes to, but the cosmos [one] lives in.” ] Once we know that the entire physical world around us, all of creation, is both the hiding place and the revelation place for God, this world becomes home, safe, enchanted, offering grace to any who look deeply. I call that kind of deep and calm seeing “contemplation.” Richard Rohr  

My mind and heart I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121: 1-2 The COVID pandemic has been devastating for all of us. Everyone has suffered so much loss, of friends, family colleague, jobs, freedom, ability to socialise. Reflect on how the pandemic has affected you emotionally. The new realities of working from home, temporary unemployment, home-schooling of children, and lack of physical contact with other family members, friends and colleagues is hard to  get used to. Managing the fear of contracting the virus and worry about people close to us who are particularly vulnerable, are challenging for all of us. Here are a few tips Keep to a routine as far as possible. Lent is a wonderful time to commit to new spiritual practices, meditation, listening to sacred music. Keep up with personal hygiene (yup we have all been to zoom meetings in pyjama bottoms and a smart top!) Eat healthy meals. Sugar highs only lead to sugar lows later on…. Exercise regularly Allocate work time and relaxation time – if they all blur together you end up never relaxing properly Lent is a great time to cut out alcohol and replace with a more healthy alternative! Help others – voluntary work will make you feel better and bring blessing to others too Social media can get you into a negative spiral… find more positive people to follow and you will start getting positive rather than negative messages coming through. Block the negative ones and yes it is ok to unfriend people! 121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Get out into nature, even if you cannot go far, as you walk your street, look up at the clouds and the birds and experience the renewal of your spirit in nature. “Those who contemplate the beatify of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature. T he assurance that dawn comes after night and spring after winter ‘ Rachel Carson.

  Reflection – how have you treated your body in 2020? “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God 1 Cor 6;19 There is a joke going around that says  “ On average a panda feeds for approximately 12 hours per day. This is the same as an adult at home under lockdown, which is why we call it a  “Pandemic” The COVID-19 pandemic means that many of us are staying at home  and sitting down more than we usually do. It’s hard for a lot of us to do the sort of exercise we normally do. It’s even harder for people who don’t usually do a lot of physical exercise. But at a time like this, it’s very important for people of all ages and abilities to be as active as possible. Remember – Just taking a short break from sitting, by doing 3-4 minutes of light intensity physical movement, such as walking or stretching, will help ease your muscles and improve blood circulation and muscle activity. Regular physical activity benefits both the body and mind. It can reduce high blood pressure, help manage weight and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes – all conditions that can increase susceptibility to COVID-19. So before we get vaccines, it is important that we all try to stay as healthy as possible.  If you do then catch COVID-19 you are less likely to get a severe case. Regular physical activity can help give our days a routine and be a way to stay in contact with family and friends. It helps us to deal with stress and improves your mood. Meet the wonderful 97 year old Sheila White , an Anglican from British Columbia in Canada whose daily walks help her take the pandemic in stride https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1859701315790/

ASH WEDNESDAY – CALCULATE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT “Repent and believe the good news” Ash Wednesday is a time of lament, of looking at our life-style and repenting, making a change. We have sinned against God the Creator in the way we have treated the Earth. We have sinned against our neighbour in the actions we have taken that are warming this planet. Today at the beginning of Lent, start by recognising the damage you have done by using this interactive carbon footprint calculator. https://www.wwf.org.au/…/ecological-footprint… here is the Carbon Fast Calendar for Lent https://www.greenanglicans.org/…/02/calendar-2021done.pdf

Seeds of Hope.  These 40 Lenten devotions in honour of Bishop Ellinah are seeds of hope, a tribute to her life. Reflections on 40 different scriptures come from a wide variety of people from Archbishops to lay ministers, from different parts of the world. May these seeds sown in love grow to bear fruit! https://www.greenanglicans.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/lenten-devotionalfinal.pdf