How Good It Is

As I opened the church door this morning I received a text from one of our parishioners who is in Costa Rica with our mission team. Over many years we've had a close relationship with the bishop and one parish in particular. Every year a team travels to assist in the building of the parish church and, more importantly, the building of relationships. Our mission team is currently on the Caribbean coast in Limon and wanted to know if they could FaceTime for Morning Prayer and Mass. 

I've often said that we hold daily prayer and mass at St Timothy's not to guilt those who can't attend due to work and other reasonable obligations but precisely because they can't. We offer the prayers of the Church on behalf of the Church. We (Fr Griffin and myself) keep this rhythm of prayer and Eucharistic Sacrifice in order that the Faithful may unite their prayers to those of the Church wherever they might be.

Even though members of our parish are 1,800 miles away and in a different time zone, they knew when we were offering our prayers. And thanks to modern technology, they FaceTimed in, not as a gimmick, but to pray in community. This is catholicity. Two groups of people in different countries joined together through prayer and faith.

Today, on the 28th day of the month, the psalms for Morning Prayer are 132 through 135. Psalm 133 begins 

Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity.

I looked at the iPhone propped against the missal and smiled. Yes it is indeed.