Because of COVID, this year our parish held Holy Thursday adoration a bit differently than we are accustom. We do not have an adoration chapel like many parishes. Instead, for the Good Friday vigil, we typically set up the tabernacle inside the cry room to provide a more intimate experience for encountering the Lord. Like most cry rooms, there are large windows for parents to continue to take part in the celebration of the Mass while dealing with little ones who find it difficult to sit still for very long.
Our liturgy minister and pastor took advantage of the windows. Placing an altar, the tabernacle, and candles front and center, they provided adorers with space to adequately social distance and take advantage of the broader space and ventilation.
When the lights dimmed, something interesting happened. Our reflections could be seen in the window. It struck me, our reflections were how Jesus saw us from the tabernacle. It was a bit sobering, to be honest.
Boy, were we a motley crew of adorers with masks covering our faces. We were modern versions of Jesus' 1st-century followers: the workers, the retired, the young, the not-so-young, the seekers, the disciples, the men, the women. So many versions of His likeness!
Anyone with a cursory understanding of genetics knows how diverse the human genome is and the statistics for creating similar features. It really is beyond human comprehension to understand how God could create so much variety and yet so much consistency at the same time.
It is enough to make my mind spin out of control when I really start to think about it. Instead, I just sit in quiet wonder, talking to Jesus in the tabernacle through the cry room glass.
Photo courtesy of our Deacon, Bob Morris.
