One of the great things about joining a community only in its fourth year of existence is the opportunity to be creative and to start something new. On every Tuesday night during Advent, I’ve had the great opportunity to create and lead an “Advent Eucharistic Meditation.” What is this, you ask? For those in the States, it would be akin to a directed holy-hour, filled with prayers, readings, meditative songs, and most importantly, silence.
Genesis (aka Nick has an idea (Nick also likes using headers)):
It all started over a month ago, when I found myself missing something. As a House, we work on most projects together, with one or two people taking point on a project and everyone working together as needed. While this has been great, and has really taught me the value of group planning and execution, I found myself really missing being able to conceive, plan and execute something by myself; I found that I missed a degree of independence that I had come to enjoy in my previous ministries. So, after talking to Molly and receiving her encouragement/blessing, I decided to ask the parish team during our meeting if I could put something together.
In its original conception, we would just have a small candle-lit Eucharist-centered prayer service. By the end of that meeting, it was decided that I would create/organize one of these for each week during adoration, each one lasting for an hour and ending with a full benediction. I had perhaps gotten more than I bargained for, but I was excited and ready to do it.
Physical Layout (aka Nick tries to make it look pretty):
If you have ever met me, you would know that interior design is not one of my strong points. However, I discovered that one of the benefits of living with three women is that I have a strong reference point for what looks good and what doesn’t. Armed with such knowledge, I waded into the realm of designing a sacred space, matching dark purples and light purple fabrics draped over the altar and tables, putting together red and blue candles in various formations of three and seven. Finally, two altar candles would be placed on each side of the monstrance, with a third candle, shorter, directly in front to illuminate the Blessed Sacrament. Whereas God could look upon what he did and say that it was good, I looked upon my own creation and said, “I have no idea if this looks good or not”; and so I immediately sought the opinion of the experts in aesthetics: the women-folk.
The Eucharistic Meditation: (aka Nick reads in a bass voice in an echoing chapel):
Each week, the guided meditation is the same: All the candles are lit for the daily Mass at 7pm, followed by regular adoration until 8pm. Then, after a short introduction and prayer by whichever priest is on duty that night, all the lights are turned off. The only light in the chapel is the great amount of candles by the monstrance, and a few in the back so that we can play piano. The first reading is read, slowly, and then followed with a song. Then silence. Then a second reading and song, followed by, you guessed it, more silence. We do it a third time, and then when 9pm rolls around we do a full benediction with chant, Latin and incense, as is the parish’s usual custom (As a side-note, I love the smell of incense. If Molly would allow it I would keep a thurible lit in my room at all times and carry it with me around the house. It would make doing laundry a much more solemn event as I carried it from the washer to the dryer).
Going into this, I was so focused on getting the job done and making sure that people would get something from it that I failed to realize just how much I would receive from the process. Its been a huge affirmation for me, and its made me more confident of my own musical gifts, especially playing piano and singing at the same time, with which I have always had huge struggles. The people who attended were also affirming, both in their words while leaving and in their numbers of attendance. Finally, it was great to also to have the other House of Brigid members there, not only to help provide music, but as in this past week, to just be there and have an hour when they don’t have to do anything but pray and be a member of the congregation. For the church minister who is always giving of their time and talent during times of prayer, there are few greater gifts than to go to prayer and to receive.
