I believe in the power of words, not only spoken words but also written words.  The Prologue of the Gospel according to John speaks of “the Word” being the presence of God in the beginning of creation and then becoming flesh in Christ Jesus.  In his Testament, Francis of Assisi wrote of preserving the “written words” of the Lord being preserved in “a becoming place,” as the dedicatory plaque for our “Becoming Place” shows in the picture here.   Words are important, and written words especially.

      

Once Fr. Pio O’Connor, OFM,  asked me why I write out the most of my Sunday homilies word-for-for, which I have done for most of the last thirty years.  Pio went on to ask another question, “Don’t you think that writing out your homilies word-for-word might keep the Holy Spirit from working through what you are saying right while you are saying it while you are preaching?” I responded that I believe that the Holy Spirit can work just as effectively while I was writing as in the moment that I was delivering the homily. And even while I am writing the homily, the Holy Spirit probably knows just who will be there when I preach and what they will need to hear better than I will know those things, even during the homily. (But I have to add that sometimes, I do make last-minute changes while I am delivering a homily.).

All of these words about words seem appropriate to this issue of the Padre’s Trail because I think that now is the time for all of us to be writing lots of words to each other – as prayers.  Every Lent I try to write “Lenten Love Notes” to people every day as a reminder that I am thinking of them, that they are in my prayers.  But with the need for “self-quarantining” and the talk of “social isolation” at this point as we are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, I think that one of the best things that any of us can do is write a note to someone who may truly feel isolated. The note need not be long, and need not even be on paper, but it seems to me it should be as directed to one particular individual at a time, and as close as we can get to the unique, individual, personal love that God has for each one of us. Whether it is a note or an email, if it is individual, if the recipient can tell that the note is being written to them, because you were thinking of them as an individual and the challenges that they are facing at this highly stressed time, it will be a blessing for them.  And in the writing of that note, you may be blessed to realize that you are not alone either! God is with us through each other, even when we cannot see each other. Here is a little prayer to help your note writing along:

A Prayer for Letter Writing
Loving and good God -giver of all good gifts,
including the gift of words,
Help me to write the words,
express the thoughts,
and share with others, 
the things I need to say,
the things they need to hear,
so though we may be far apart,
we remain close at heart. 
Amen.

---

Many of our friars, especially the elderly and infirmed, are self-isolating for their health. If you would like to send a letter to one of our friars to lift their spirit, please feel send to:

Provincial Curia
Attention: Letter for Friars
1204 Stinson Street, SW
Albuquerque, NM 87121
 

If you know of a loved one who is isolated and would benefit from a letter to lift their spirit, please email their information to [email protected]. We would be happy to send them a note.