TO: ALL ST. GREGORY THE GREAT E-MAIL USERS
FROM: JENNIFER SHERRILL, DIRECTOR OF THE ST. GREGORY SINGERS
RE: SPIRITUAL REFLECTION
“Love one another. As I have loved you. so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35
Reflection
The errant train car shifted jarringly on it’s track as Chicago neighborhoods whizzed by. Inside the car, the scent of a passenger’s hastily consumed fast food lunch mingled with the less pleasant odor of the stained blue chairs in which we all found ourselves. To my right, sat a young woman in scrubs, busily studying class notes with highlighter in hand. Across and facing, sat a middle aged man in a suit, his nervously tapping tennis shoes indicating his likely condition of not being on time. Next to him, sat a teenager, complete with ripped jeans, combat boots and a kind smile, her pale hair crowned with a bright red pair of shiny headphones. To my left, sat a tall black man, leaning shyly away as though he thought I would be bothered were we to accidentally touch. Near the doors, an older man defiantly stood, dressed in black leather, stories written in the lines of his face and the grey of his hair. My fingers itched to raise the camera cradled in my lap beneath my jacket, though common courtesy held me still. As my cell phone was on it’s last dregs of energy, I tucked it away and occupied myself by furtively studying this car full of strangers.
Saint Paul had had a bumpy path to the will of God. Despite being incredibly intelligent and well educated, Paul thought that to serve God meant to persecute those who were on a different path...Christians. Paul, or Saul as he was known then, sought out, arrested and condemned Christian men and women. By all means, Saul was a lost cause. However, Jesus had other plans for this man who would go on to write nearly half of the New Testament. A few weeks back, the Tower Chorale and members of our own St. Gregory the Great Parish Choir, sang the story of St. Paul, our voices taking on the roles of the Jews, the Gentiles, believers, unbelievers, and even at one point, the voice of God. At the end of it all, with exhausted bodies and hoarse voices, we met St. Paul; his flaws, his triumphs and above all his love for God.
After his conversion, St. Paul went on to form Christian churches all along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean or what is now present day Turkey, Greece, and on up through Macedonia. However, the path was not always easy. “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” Paul said, while lifting the spirits of his disciples in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. But we ALL undergo many hardships, every day.
I looked up at the people on the train car with me; the man in his suit, the girl in her headphones, the man leaning away from me, the woman in scrubs, the old man in black. What hardships hurt them? A bad diagnoses, drowning in debt, lost love, fear, poverty? And who was I? Was I Saul, who judged and condemned, or was I Paul, who loved and strengthened those around him?
Jesus gave us such power in his commandment to love one another. With a smile and nod, we acknowledge, validate, and accept another. With a hand touching an arm, we share, connect and give strength. With love in our hearts, we hold each other up. Love pulls us out of despair. And as Christians, we have the power to hold that promise of love out to all of those around us, not just our close families and friends, but ALL of those around us. Paul’s example teaches us that there is no one beyond the love of God. And at the end of the day, we are all on this train car together. I shuffled my belongings, smiled at the shy man next to me, and took his returned smile with me as I left the train.
*******
There is much music to be made in love around St. Gregory's in the upcoming weeks and we hope that you will join us!! This Sunday at 4 pm, the International Chamber Artists will be presenting a concert titled Rhapsody Enrapture, complete with two pianos! This May, the Quest Theatre Ensemble and ICA are proud to present The People’s Passion Play, set to Dvorak’s beautiful Serenade for Winds, Op. 44, for 11 instrumentalists. ICA is Chicago’s premier chamber music organization and Quest Theatre Ensemble is Chicago’s oldest free theater. Both organizations are Artists-in-Residence here at St. Gregory the Great, and The People’s Passion Play marks their first collaboration. Don’t miss this unique retelling featuring soaring music, visually arresting large-scale puppetry, and the greatest story ever told. We have a special VIP opportunity: for $25 in advance, you’ll receive special reserved seating at the concert of your choice, either 5/14 at 7:30 pm or 5/15 at 4:00 pm at St. Gregory’s, and entrance to a special after concert reception after both performances in the cafeteria. You must donate in advance to participate in this VIP opportunity, please email Patrick at pgodon@yahoo.com or call 773-354-4533 to reserve your place. See you there!
Prayer
Lord of all life, help us to glorify your Father in acts of love through the power of the Spirit.
Make us new, open the doors of faith in our hearts, and love us as you transform the world through us.
R. Gabriel Pivarnik, op, Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island
