If you would like to receive these daily reflections (written by various parishioners) in your email box each day, contact darcy.wharton@rocklincatholic.org

Reflections for June 14-20, 2021
Monday, June 14, 2021- Pivot
One word that was used a lot during the height of the pandemic was “pivot”.  In fact, many people grew tired of hearing the word due to its overuse.  However I realized that I have done a lot of pivoting lately.  In mid- April my husband and I became fulltime caregivers of his parents after his mother broke a hip.  Our lives quite suddenly had to pivot.  We had to learn about medical equipment, after surgery care, physical therapy and everything surrounding parents who are 87 and 92.  We had many questions and few answers.
I was reminded quite quickly that there are no guarantees in life.  Pivoting is simply a matter of changing direction as needed based on the circumstances.  While the arrangements of our life can quickly change, the love of our God never does.  I am so grateful for that!
Darcy Wharton

Tuesday, June 15, 2021-Burdens
Over the years I have had several conversations with people who have said, “I hope I am never a burden to my children.”   The thought has crossed my mind at times as well.  We are currently hearing that from my in-laws who are living with us. 
Lately I have begun to question that statement.  What determines a “burden”?  It seems to me that it is likely a matter of perspective.  If I am willing to help another person, is that truly a burden?  We are called by God to help one another when they are in need.  Is God burdening us with this request?
Some of life’s tasks are incredibly difficult. But with God beside us, and with the support of others, our load can seem much lighter.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  (Matthew 11:30).
Darcy Wharton

Wednesday, June 16, 2021-I Can’t Do It
Perhaps it is ego, perhaps it is stubbornness, but I have a really difficult time acknowledging my inability to do certain things.  If I set my mind to do something, I do not enjoy finding out that I cannot do it.
Recently, I was asked to do a medical procedure for my mother in-law.  I had that uncomfortable feeling that I would not be able to do it, but I tried to ignore that feeling and then proceeded to try to do the procedure.  Eventually, I had to admit defeat. 
Why is it so hard for some of us to see or admit our own limitations?  This can become more evident as we age when we are not physically or mentally able to do things the way we once did. 
Might there be a lesson that God intends for us during these times? 
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
Darcy Wharton

Thursday, June 17, 2021- Acceptance
Many of the people I work with in spiritual direction have realized their difficulty in accepting help or even accepting something small like a gift from others.  They immediately want to “repay” the favor.  
While there could be many reasons for feeling this way, psychologists think it is often tied to general feelings of unworthiness, or a general feeling that one must do something to “earn” the gift.
Our worth as individuals needs to be grounded in the fact that we are God’s beloved children.  It is not on anything we have done.   As Richard Rohr says, “the love God has for us has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with God.”
Accepting God’s unconditional love for us can take a lifetime, but it is a journey worth taking!  If we cannot accept help or love from others, how can we ever accept God’s love and grace?  Once we fully understand this, we cannot help but accept love from others the same way. 
Darcy Wharton

Friday, June 18, 2021- No Ordinary Ritual
I have written before about how much I enjoy the foot-washing ritual on Holy Thursday- my favorite liturgy of the year.  This past Lent, I was quite disappointed that we could not perform the ritual in our usual way.  I took my concerns to God in prayer but did not expect to “hear” a response. (After all, Holy Thursday had come and gone!)
When my in-laws moved in with us a few days later, I found myself assisting my mother-in-law with showering.  Suddenly, I had a deep realization that there was my foot-washing.  In fact, that was the most profound foot-washing ritual that I have ever done and yes, it brought tears.
Only God can take a disappointment and turn it into something beautiful.
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.   John 13:14
Darcy Wharton

Saturday, June 19, 2021- I See You
I remember fondly the experience of taking our daughters to local parks when they were very young.  They would often say, “Watch me, Mommy” as they learned some new trick on the bars or figured out a way to master the plastic slide.  It was easy to watch the first few times they would ask, but as the morning dragged on, it sometimes became difficult to show interest.  The same thing could happen later in the day as they chattered about every little thing.  (Stay-at-home parents deserve our respect for their patience!)
In spending so much time with my in-laws recently, I realized that at the end of our lives, we have an even greater need to be seen and heard.  I have heard some stories over and over, but I know the importance of being seen and heard.
Clearly, everyone wants to be seen, heard, and valued without judgement.  I pray that everyone has at least one person in their life who reminds them of how God sees them.
Darcy Wharton

Sunday, June 20, 2021- A Day to Celebrate
I am certain that I will remember today for a long time.  Yes, it’s Father’s Day and between my birthfather, my adoptive father, my father-in-law, my birthmother’s husband, and my own husband, I’ll be celebrating the gift of fatherhood in my life.  But there’s another reason I will remember today.  After 15 months, we once again will be singing as a congregation!!
Music is obviously important to me.  Although I have sung a handful of times as a cantor during these past months, my greatest joy is to sing with other people and experience the joy of congregational singing, so it never quite felt right.
The Church invites us to full, active, and conscious participation in the Mass.  Now that we are all returning to church in person, let’s raise our voices in praise and send that joy out into the world! 
Here’s a great quote I read recently, “Liturgy….what happens here DOESN’T stay here!”
Darcy Wharton

Monday, June 7, 2021 – Belonging

When my girls started playing softball this spring – one of the first items of business was the ordering of socks and ribbons to match their team colors.  It was a seemingly mundane detail in the scope of things, but it meant everything to the girls.  The moment they put those socks on and ribbons in their hair, they felt a sense of belonging. 

Belonging is something that we all seek at some level, and yet we read in Isaiah 43 “I have called you by name; you are mine.”  That’s it…no socks, ribbons or membership card needed…we belong to God.  God always comes to us in love, helping us look past the faults and failures of others in order to experience trust and belonging in our relationships.  Lord, thank you for modeling this radical love and belonging.  We pray that we may extend the same generosity towards other people in our lives, assuming the good in our desire for belonging…then the socks and ribbons can just be extra flair!

- Katie Maynard


Tuesday, June 8, 2021 – Salt & Light

Today’s gospel is a favorite in our household: the simile of salt and light.  My girls know that when I start the sentence, “Let your…” they respond enthusiastically “…light shine!”  My deep longing for my daughters is that they know they are loved, that they love who they are created to be, and that they let that shine for the world to see.  Inevitably though, there are days when they come home from school, the playground or practice and they have been made to feel as though they were not enough, or that they needed to be someone else or change for other people.  It is in these moments that I hold them, and remind them that they are beloved and repeat for the umpteenth time to “Let your light shine.”

Like most pearls of wisdom, a great deal of repetition is required to integrate these truths.  And so, I pray that I may be a repetitive voice for you today: our world needs you to be salt to enhance flavor, and light for all to see…let your light shine!

- Katie Maynard

Wednesday, June 9, 2021 – Game Changer

During the month of May, the Jesuits entered the “Ignatian Year,” honoring the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola and his “cannonball moment.”  In 1521, while leading the Spanish troops in the defense of Pamplona against the French army, Ignatius was struck in the leg by a cannonball, Pamplona was lost and Ignatius’ worldly dreams were shattered.  During his time of convalescence, he had little to do to pass the time except read two books, The Life of Christ and The Life of the Saints.  As he read these books, he began to imagine what it would be like to follow in the life of Christ like the Saints.  The cannonball may have shattered the dreams he had for his own life, but it was this moment that allowed Ignatius to see things anew…it was a game changer!

This story, like many stories of our saints, calls us to find ourselves in their faith journeys, relate to their struggles and aspire to their courage, as we respond to the game changing moments in our own lives.  What have been your “cannonball moments,” and how are you being called to see things anew?    

-Katie Maynard

Thursday, June 10, 2021 – Umbrellas
In my household whenever there is a kerfuffle of some sort between our kids, it often leads to tears and meltdowns.  In these moments, I find myself kneeling down, looking them in the eyes and after validating their feelings of sadness or anger, I remind them that they have a choice in how they respond.  In fact, I say it is the only thing that they can control – whether to stay under the rain cloud or step out into the sunshine.  Sometimes they need to get their figurative umbrellas out and pout for a while…and that is okay.  At times like these my role as their mother becomes one of invitation: an invitation to step out into the light.

This past year we have tried to make the best of a year of change and adjustment, becoming accustomed to “one-foot-in-front-of-the-other” operating with everything changing all the time around us.  We’ve stretched ourselves and I’ve found myself weary…reaching for an umbrella while I stay under my own rain cloud.  I’ve taken time to pout as well, but the invitation to step into the sun is ever-present: in a phone call from a friend, a good laugh, a silly moment, a song, or a snuggle with my girls.

What draws you out from under your umbrella?

-Katie Maynard

Friday, June 11, 2021 – Rewind
It never ceases to amaze me how the simple act of resetting – logging off and logging back on again, can completely solve a technological dilemma.  That being said, I have never had luck with this in my own life.  There is no “reset” button to push when things get stressful or tough. 

It's times like these that I look to the wisdom of our old cassette and VHS tapes, which we were required to rewind in order to go back to the beginning.  Rewinding required patience and care in order to go back to a song or clip that we wanted to experience again.  I’m not suggesting that we can rewind our lives, but I liken it to the process of reflection.  We cannot hit a reset button…but we can reflect.  As I recently celebrated a milestone birthday, I found myself overwhelmed with a contentment that came from patiently and carefully going back over the years with gratitude for the things I have been able to do and the people who have walked by my side.

With some good old-fashioned rewinding, we are encouraged to take care in reflection to notice God’s work in our lives.  It may not be a magic reset button, but it will allow us to move through difficult times where we find ourselves stalled, celebrate this incredible gift of life, and give us strength for what lies ahead.

-Katie Maynard

Saturday, June 12, 2021 – Receiving

I am mindful of the many ways in which our parish has been of service to us all during the pandemic, much of which happens behind the scenes.  Our church has cared for our safety with social distancing, livestream technology and sanitizer; and she has cared for us by ushering us in in new ways, bringing us back together slowly and lovingly.  Perhaps more subtle, yet profound has been how our church has renewed our understanding of receiving the Eucharist, by bringing it to us when we couldn’t come to the altar.  Watching Fr. Bony and the Eucharistic ministers spread out across the parking lot and through the aisles of pews to minister communion has been an incredible sight to behold. 

I look forward to the day when I can process to the altar again to receive, and yet I am grateful for our church serving us as in the words of The Servant Song:

“Will you let me be your servant? 
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I may have the grace
To let me be your servant too.”

-Katie Maynard

Sunday, June 13, 2021 – In this place
 
We are all hungry people, we need shelter and strength.
We are one in our hurting, we are one in our pain.
In our suff’ring and sadness, we are saved by the grace
Of the power and the Spirit that is here in this place.

These lyrics from the song “In this place” by Trevor Thompson, speak to the place where I find myself today gathered for mass.  As my family has returned to indoor mass, there have been growing pains for sure.  Although we worked hard to create a sacred space here at home on Sundays for livestream, my girls have had to re-learn how to participate respectfully during mass in the pews.  We have also had to adjust to various changes in the liturgy: from camping chairs to cars and back to pews again, from livestream to FM radio to the long-awaited anticipation of singing together again.

Given my personality, I can tend to slip into an all-or-nothing mentality, and so it is hard for me not to have everything back to normal all at once.  That being said, I do notice small graces in the sanctuary which fill my spirit: smiling eyes of parishioners I haven’t seen in so long, sounds of children who have grown so much over the past year, more instruments joining the fray, and being nourished by the Eucharist. 

Like the mustard seed, we have started small…one step at a time, and we will grow in number and in song.

-Katie Maynard