Hid in the heart of God

St. John Fisher Catholic Church. (SOOC)

I turned down a lane whose end was hidden from sight. There was a sign for a church school. Perhaps a hidden blip also?

There was indeed a school, and a big post-Vatican II church as well, named after a 16th century English bishop, John Fisher, who was martyred by Henry VIII and is honored in both the Catholic Church and the Church of England. The church building was completely hidden from the main road.

The church seemed dark and was probably locked, but I followed the driveway around to the back and spotted an open door.

As I peered in at the small doorway I saw that there were candles lit on the altar, there was a small congregation, and a priest was speaking. Was there a mass? Not the usual time for one.

I slipped unobtrusively into a rear pew near the doorway and, making sure my flash and click were off, I snapped one shot. After glancing at it I quickly took a second one. Then I sat back to listen to what the priest was saying.

Gradually it dawned on me that this was either a funeral mass or a memorial mass. The front of the altar and most of the people were hidden from me, and I couldn't see whether there was a coffin.

Either way, these people were gathered to remember someone who was now hidden from them, whom they would never more see in this life. My heart reached out to the one they had lost as I offered a prayer for him.

I had been frolicking at the SWCC pool, then gleefully searching for a blip. The experience of finding myself, albeit almost hidden from sight, in the midst of a funeral was sobering.

The date and manner of our own death are hidden from us, but its future occurrence is certain. For those whose gift of years has been great, this knowledge is a constant presence in our waking thoughts. Earlier this week I received a note from a widow whose husband's funeral I attended. Later this week I will visit a dying friend. Eventually I will be the one for whom the candles are lit and the prayers are said.

Meanwhile, as St. Paul urges us to do, it's our duty to rejoice in all circumstances. "Again I say, rejoice!" So I have a grin on my face as I watch the tree branches tossed by the breeze, ponder the many surprises life brings, and hope for a 'Satisfying' adventure for tomorrow's blip. (Q.v.)

HIDDEN: DDW August 21 challenge

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Many thanks for kindnesses offered in support of my 'rough patch.' As others have also said, these things come and go as we meet the challenges life doles out. Life is full of losses and gains, deaths and births, afflictions and healings, heartbreak and happiness. Let us not become so distracted by the former that we fail to celebrate the latter!