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For some years now, St. Joan of Arc Church has been celebrating a prayer service of reconciliation during each Advent and Lenten season. On the afternoon of Sunday, March 9th at 4:00 pm, our creative Prayer Partners invited us to gather as a community to experience forgiveness. Examining the choices we make in life will be the focus of this service led by Mark Scannell and Joan Riebel(right). It will feature instrumental music, songs, readings, prayerful meditation, spiritual reflection and ritual.
The crowd assembled in an atmosphere of tranquility as peaceful background instrumental music was heard from Joe Chouinard, piano; Anna Vagle, voice and recorder and Fred Vagle, voice and guitar.
A simple altar, adorned with a white cloth, was centered in front of a stunning roughhewn and primitive cross constructed of woven wood and twigs. Two small linen covered tables on each side of the altar held a box that would be used as a “ballot box” as part of a creative ritual experience.
Dual slides in iridescent blue with the words, “Choose Life” was shown as an indicator of the service’s theme, continuing the St. Joan’s overall Lenten focus - the choices we make in life as followers of Christ.
After the opening prayer and a quote from Joan Chittister’s writing where she claims that we are all called to “do something” with our lives and about making good choices.
After welcoming everyone, Joan Riebel made an announcement that following the service, private confessions would be offered at 5pm in the church for anyone interested.
Carrying out the Sunday Gospel of the day, Mark first read the Gospel of the story of Jesus bringing his friend, Lazarus back to life from death. Mark then brought forth new and interesting thoughts about what we think of as “death” in his follow-up reflection of that Gospel story.
He spoke of the many types of “death” we all experience in our lifetime such as failures. Mark emphasized how we must believe in ourselves, our church and our God as a way to face these fears that are a form of death. The conquering of those fears is a form of personal resurrection.
Mark spoke also of the countless ways that reconciliation comes to us. We are given the gift of the Eucharist; giving our time and energy to charitable acts; the importance of aiding our fellow human beings, to name a few.
What do we demand of ourselves? This question, in my mind was to me the most difficult action to be reconciled. That is perhaps because of our imperfection as human beings.
The elements within this simple prayer service were deep and complicated, and yet, so aptly resolved by the simple words that were displayed on the large overhead screens. They stated in a simple uncomplicated way,
The ritual that tied it all together began with a purple paper (Lenten reminder, perhaps?) passed out to the assembly titled, “BALLOT LENT 2008”. On the reverse side were written the four stated choices having to do with being worthy of love, expecting hope and acting on your beliefs. After a short meditation to study these choices (examination of conscience) we were invited to move forward row by row toward the main altar where each person expressed a desire to change, forgive themselves and others and to make good choices. The person to whom they spoke then responded with a positive, ”You Are Loved… Answer Your Calling”. The ballot they had filled out was placed into a ballot box as a symbol of their serious desire to change.
There seemed to be a noticeable difference in the people who had stood in that line and expressed some thought and were told that they were loved. A somewhat lighter step seemed to carry them back to their seats. It seemed to lighten their burden.
Then, after a final prayer, blessing and challenge to follow Jesus’ teachings, a St. Joan sign of peace ensued before the final song was sung. Once again we heard that challenge ringing in our ear:
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