COM M E N T WITH EYES WIDE OPEN JIM DEEDS
TAKE A DEEP BREATH
ALLOW YOUR BREATH TO BECOME A SIGN OF GOD'S CLOSENESS TO YOU. My friend Fr Martin Magill and I have fallen into a habit when phoning one another. Whoever makes the call begins the conversation with five simple words, spoken slowly and with feeling: "Breathe in, and breathe out." The person on the other end of the line responds by taking a slow and intentional breath. We've found it's a great way to start a conversation. Moreover, it serves as a reminder for us both to slow down and breathe as easily as we can. It came about after our work on this year's 4 Corners Festival in Belfast in January and February. (You can find out all about the festival and see many of this year's events by going to www.4cornersfestival.com.) The theme of this year's festival was 'Breathe'. Using as our starting point, ruach, the Hebrew word for breath, we tried to discover how the breath of God was bringing love, joy and mercy to the four corners of Belfast, the city where we live, a wounded and wonderful city as many of you know. In this Easter season, I am always drawn to a scripture story about the breath of God that could easily get missed as we concentrate on the day of Resurrection itself, with the excitement and drama of the empty tomb. In John 20:19-23, we read of an incredible experience the friends of Jesus had that evening. They have locked themselves in a room, well away from the authorities of whom they are terrified. After all, they didn't want to suffer the same fate that befell Jesus on Good Friday. Into their fear, worry, and uncertainty comes Jesus
himself, even though we are told the doors are locked. He sees their stunned faces and wishes them peace. "Peace be with you," he tells them, before showing them the wounds of the cross that he bears on his body. They seem even more stunned now because we read that he tells them once more, "Peace be with you." How wonderful it is that he appeared to them amid their real-life experience. These were frightened people, worried people. These were the people who had run away from Jesus and left him with only his mother, Mary Magdalene and John for company in his agony. In other words, these were imperfect people. Dare I say that these were flawed people, just like us. And yet, despite their flaws, fears and shortcomings, Jesus himself came and stood among them, wishing them peace. This Easter season, we could reflect that even in the fear and worry of this pandemic and even in the face of our own shortcomings, Jesus comes to us offering his peace. After he wishes them peace, Jesus tells them he is sending them out
just as his Father sent him. He tells them – and by extension us – that they are part of his mission to build God’s kingdom. How can we be part of the mission that Jesus came for? How could we even begin to contemplate that we can do this? Well, the clue to how we do this is in the next line of the story. In John 20:22 we read that "he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" He breathed on them. How curious that is, if we take a step back. Think about your own life right now. Who breathes on you? Who do you breathe on? It seems to me that we can only breathe on those we are very close to. In these times of social distancing, the number of people we are close to has shrunk to only those with whom we are intimately connected – loved ones, family, close friends. And even then, it is only when we hold those people close that we would be able to breathe on them or feel their breath on us. Jesus, it seems, got very close to his friends that evening – close enough to breathe on them and, of course, his breath brought with it the Holy Spirit.
This Easter season, we could reflect on the fact that Jesus is as close to us as he was to his friends that night. Jesus is, if you like, in our bubble! He holds us tight and allows us to hold on to him. Why not spend a few moments each day contemplating that feeling of holding and being held by Jesus? Focus on your breath as it enters and leaves your body. Allow your breath to become a sign of the closeness of God. Allow God's breath to fall on you. Allow the Holy Spirit to fall on you and fill you. The Holy Spirit equips us to play our part in Jesus' mission in our own time and in our own way. But just as our breath leaves us and goes out into the ether, so too this notion that we could be called to play a part in God's great plan for the world could become a fleeting notion that leaves us as we sink back into feeling inadequate or powerless or even uninterested. That is why the habit Fr Martin and I have fallen into is so useful. It stops us in our tracks and reminds us of the gift of life we have received and the small part we play in God's plan for the world. So, this Easter season, I invite you to pause, take a breath, be thankful for it, and open yourself up to the work of the Holy Spirit. It could be the beginning of an exciting adventure.
Belfast man Jim Deeds is a poet, author, pastoral worker and retreat-giver working across Ireland.
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