I recently was filtering through some old family photos and papers. I find it helpful to sift through the many things we store in boxes. I’ve discovered that over time, some items we have kept can take on new meaning, and sometimes it’s easy to let go of things we no longer treasure. It’s good to simplify.
I came upon my altar server card from the early 1960s. The card provided the trainee altar server with phonetic pronunciation for the Latin prayer responses that he (only boys in those days) needed to learn in preparation for serving at Mass. The irony of using English to learn to pronounce Latin prayers I didn’t understand escaped me at the time. It didn’t occur to me to question the way it was.
Beauty in the Prayer
Years later, I learned the beauty of the verses that had been hidden from me, “That I may come to the altar of God, to God, my joy, my delight.” (Psalm 43:4a). By that time, the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council had begun. For me, it was better to hear and speak to the Lord in my own words – in the language I knew best.
Learning in the Present
Sometimes we discover gracious moments that bring us blessed memories with hidden meaning. I’ve found that these can be discovered long after the original event. Not so much nostalgia, but rather these occasions are invitations to harvest what something from the past can mean in the present, what it can teach us now.
You Get to See More
I had the opportunity recently to have been a passenger in both of my children’s cars. It’s fun to be a passenger from time to time. You get to see more, and I try not to comment on their driving. The best part was the conversation. Within the family, we have over forty years in common. There was rarely a quiet moment. Our conversations included present-day activities of grandchildren, reminiscence about times gone by, and dreams still to be realized. Conversation with loved ones is open space for God’s Spirit to invite, encourage, console, and guide.
We know each other well and continue to discover the hidden beauty of how our relationships keep us whole – and draw us into grace.
Let us pray that our family conversations are open to how the Spirit of God speaks through those we love.