A Divine Promise of Communion

Dear Friend,

At last Sunday’s blessing of our new mobility access ramp, Father Joe invited those honored to please stand. It took a little coaxing, but by the end of the roll call donors stood alongside architects, engineers, administrators, civic officials, and craftsmen. Virtually the entire church was on its feet as a living portrait of the one body whose energies and gifts had managed to open the doors of hospitality and beauty a little wider to the civic monument that is our parish church.

Later, outside at the top of the ramp, when Mary Ann Parra cut the ceremonial ribbon, she was honoring her Chumash forbears who constructed the original walls of the church more than two hundred years ago. Seated across from her, in a wheelchair, was Jayne Wickman, our community elder, soon to turn 107, who first climbed the steps of the Mission Church over 100 years ago.

Viewed in the light of this Sunday’s scriptures, the faces and festivities of our dedication ceremony now become to my mind a long “Emmaus walk” of trust. The unsettling backdrop of that first Emmaus journey was the tragic loss and cruel death of Jesus, the hoped for Savior. Last Sunday’s gathering had its own unsettling backdrop, that of a nation - our own - deeply divided and at war, with Presidential assertions against a Pope calling for peace. At the same time, the launch of Artemis II and its safe return - indeed these are days of “miracle and wonder.”  

In this week’s Gospel, the walk of discouraged and confused disciples is interrupted. A divine promise of communion is fulfilled. Only by entering the mysterious presence of Jesus Christ can we open new doors and pathways. The walk takes time, attentiveness, and listening. He moves us toward community, toward peace.

Gratefully,

Father Dan