Unbearable Beauty

Image by @shawnpangg on Unsplash.

As an octogenarian friend washed my feet at last night’s Maundy Thursday service, the unbearable beauty of living overwhelmed me. Everything that unfolded during the day was now glowing with beauty: youthful romance, a nurse carefully suctioning phlegm from her patient, showy redbuds along my run route, working on an Easter sermon at a Starbucks and simultaneously flirting with passer-by toddlers, a call with a friend to strategize around two teen refugees stuck in Abu Dhabi, Papa content in assisted living, Nana baking for Easter, a college student reporting in after a successful presentation in class, a friend needing a biopsy, a friend wanting to become pregnant, Facebook reminding me of my children as much smaller beings, the weird humid air turning windy, stormy, cool, a call from a dear friend. Charles washed my feet with care and tenderness. Tears fell down my cheeks. My nose ran. We were not recording the service. I let the tears flow. The beauty overtook me.

Just before the footwashing, Jennifer’s sermon reminded me that I believe in God. I believe that I am known and loved by God. I believe that every human being who has ever lived, is living now, or will ever live is the same: known and loved by God. For the past two years I have been mightily distracted from such an awareness by administrative spinning and changes, anxieties and adaptations. That was all stripped away for several beautiful moments last night. Only the joy of believing remained. It was unbearably beautiful.

Every generation continues reveling in the beauty of this life, in the beauty of being known and loved by God. And every generation has the opportunity to serve one another following the unbearably beautiful example of Christ.

A blessed Triduum to all.