Just a couple of months ago there were bright red pohutukawa flowers throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. It is hard to remember them as we enter these new and uncharted waters of a pandemic, which is changing the way we live and interact. As we traverse this time, remember – the pohutukawas will flower again, as they always do, later in the year.

In the meantime we will put some aids to reflection and prayer here to help us as we adjust to a changed balance between personal and community prayer.

Pandemic

What if you thought of it

as the Jews consider the Sabbath—

the most sacred of times?

Cease from travel.

Cease from buying and selling.

Give up, just for now,

on trying to make the world

different than it is.

Sing. Pray. Touch only those

to whom you commit your life.

Center down.

And when your body has become still,

reach out with your heart.

Know that we are connected

in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.

(You could hardly deny it now.)

Know that our lives

are in one another’s hands.

(Surely, that has come clear.)

Do not reach out your hands.

Reach out your heart.

Reach out your words.

Reach out all the tendrils

of compassion that move, invisibly,

where we cannot touch.

Promise this world your love–

for better or for worse,

in sickness and in health,

so long as we all shall live.

— Lynn Ungar 3/11/20 (from Gratefulness.org – Living Gratefully in the Time of Coronavirus

Pope Francis’ daily Mass at Santa Marta at 7am Rome time (7pm NZ time) can be watched on the Vatican’s Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJHI8bI0LWg or on Rome Reports https://www.romereports.com/…/live-popes-mass-at-santa-mar…/

Univeralis https://universalis.com/index.htm provides the Liturgy of the Hours and Mass readings for each day.

https://www.sacredspace.ie/ provides simple guided prayer for each day.

https://www.facebook.com/taize The Taize community livestreams its Evening Prayer each day at 8.30pm Central European Time (8.30am NZ time).