Notes from Quarantine: An Update

A popular song from my first year of university had an earworm refrain that went: “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind. Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?” Fifty years later we find ourselves in this global bind, reading about signs, with almost every pandemic news story warning of a bad sign or trumpeting a good sign. Signs of recovery, of an uptick, of a leveling off, of a sudden outbreak, of another shutdown or another reopening. On Tuesday (April 28) I shared in a session of Zoom- lectio divina with some of the faculty and staff of the St. Louis Priory School on the Gospel of the day (Jn 6:30-35). It begins with the crowd saying to Jesus, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?” In the previous day’s Gospel (Jn. 6:22-29), after Jesus has fed 5,000 people and walked on the sea, He responds to their questioning and says, “You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” And in yet another previous day’s Gospel (Lk 24:13-35), for the 3rd Sunday of Easter, we hear tell of the dusty 7-mile hike from Jerusalem to Emmaus after which Jesus, still unrecognized, agrees to stay for dinner with the disciples. This is the first recorded occurrence of the Holy Mass being celebrated, and being celebrated by Jesus Himself, and it pointed to another sign. This time, it was  a group of current Portsmouth Abbey parents, participating in a second Zoom- lectio session that Sunday morning. There was talk among us of the sign whereby Jesus, “took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to” the disciples who instantly recognized Him at the sound of the breaking, of the fracturing, of the bread. The Church calls this important part of the Mass the Fraction Rite ( fractura or fractio in Latin). Younger students who are remote-learning at this time may be studying their arithmetical fractions which hold the same idea of breaking down a large unit into smaller incremental units.
 
So, at this point in time, where does all this talk of signs, Scriptural and otherwise, lead us?  For me, it has led to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the faith community connected to Portsmouth Abbey and its school. Many Oblates have chimed in with comments (all good) about our live-streamed liturgies which have forced us onto a fast-paced learning curve to keep things fresh, reverent and communicative. We thank God for bringing Br. Benedict to us along with his I.T. skills gained from years in the business. He has taught us a new tech language while he himself is learning the somewhat older language of Latin.
 
Speaking of new language, one of our Oblates has recently completed extensive studies in Spiritual Direction. Utilizing her new-found knowledge and language she has begun writing beautiful daily meditations and sharing them with others. I have urged her to consider putting them together in a booklet in order to reach a wider audience. Her thoughts encapsulate what a lot of us are thinking and feeling during this unprecedented time.
 
With the student body being absent from campus, a number of staff personnel have necessarily been put on furlough. We have heard from many of them, too, and it is evident that they rely on us not only for their livelihood in a financial sense, but for their spiritual, societal and communal needs. They are our partners. We miss them and apparently they miss us.
 
Many throughout the greater Abbey community have inquired and expressed their concern for Fathers Christopher and Julian, still living safely in their respective nursing homes. Even the monks are not allowed to visit them although we have found ways to remain connected. The 9 of us in-house monks continue to be healthy, well-fed and well-taken care of. One would think that we’d have a lot of free time while quarantined, and I guess we do, but sometimes it comes down to a lack of energy, a fleeting feeling of frustration at times of not being able to do more or to finish more projects, to read more books.
 
I’m hearing the same sentiments from close family and friends. Some say they feel as if they are hitting a wall, or coming close to it. A few weeks of “camping out” together at home and calling it a stay-cation was fun for a while, but as the weeks turn into months and spring turns into summer, the edges are becoming ragged. They are not as smooth as they were at the outset.
 
It was extremely heartening to hear from a PAS Form IV student in Connecticut that he and other class leaders are “going to try to have lectio over the computer.”  They are attempting to corral students into various prayer groups online to continue to nurture the seeds planted by our recent visitors from the Manquehue Movement based in Santiago, Chile (also under lockdown orders). As I mentioned, I host a weekly session of lectio divina with some parents who miss the face-to-face interaction which was gaining momentum prior to the campus lockdown. I look forward to my virtual time with the parents for however long we need to maintain this distance.
 
After feeling pretty darn good about successfully logging into Zoom three times, all by myself mind you, I bragged to my 3 great-nephews about my achievement. After boasting that I felt as if I have finally entered the 20th-century, they gently reminded me that we are already 20 years into the 21st!