Ash Wednesday musings

It is the first Ash Wednesday since 2019 that we actually went to church to receive the sign of the cross on our foreheads. I was not able to do that in 2020 not because of the pandemic but because I was on field work and could not go to church. In 2021 and 2022, we still were hesitant to go to church because of the health protocols. Our first face-to-face Mass was a baccalaureate Mass in May 2022. Prior to that, we only had online Masses. Instead of going to UP Diliman's Parish of the Holy Sacrifice where I usually attended the Mass for Ash Wednesday, I decided to go instead to the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary near Hinulugang Taktak in Antipolo. This was after I dropped off our daughter at school. There were already many people for the 7AM Mass so it felt like old times. The only thing different was that people wore face masks. Mask-wearing is still practiced by most if not all people despite government declaring that people may no longer wear masks. I guess many are wary about COVID-19 and masks still offer additional protection after being vaccinated vs. the virus.

This morning, we were reminded more of our mortality as the priest who celebrated the Mass suddenly froze at the altar when he was just about to start the communion rite. He was already holding the host and everyone was silent as we kneeled after the rite of peace. People including a minister and the sacristan had to rush to him to check on him. Eventually, more people came to help as it was clear that something was wrong. The parish priest also rushed to the altar and a couple of doctors and nurses also came to help. Most people appeared to be in shock including the lector who could have asked for the help of any doctor in the church. It appears that the priest's blood sugar went down as he apparently recovered after drinking some Coke (yes, that's a sugar rush for those in need of one). Still, the parish priest had to take over and preside over the communion and concluding rites of the Mass.

That experience reminded me of how quickly things might change and how delicate our lives really are. We should reflect on this and have "time outs" every so often as we have become too busy, too engrossed with doing something. We have forgotten to do nothing and have no appreciation to the quiet time that we can use instead for meditation and seeking the peace we desire.

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