Often, the observation is made that we need images to figure things out. Before the dawn of GPS, there were maps. These are images, more or less, of the terrain and the options of different pathways. With a map, we can see how to get from one point to another and we can also figure out how we ended up at a particular site. The image is helpful.
A significant image is simply called “transition”. William Bridges, at the beginning of the ’80s, reviewed his life, found that “transitions” were part of the landscape, and suggested that it is part of all of our stories. And so was born a popular and helpful book with that given name. Transition, for Bridges, has to do with three stages: Ending – Neutral Zone – New Beginning. I remember one of my first zoom “conversations” was about this. We were just geƫng into this dreadful pandemic and I felt the need to offer an image that would keep us from panic and help us understand that we were starting the first stage, there would be others.
We have been in the first stage, we have grieved losses and endings. Entering into the second stage, the most important, we have attended to many of its tasks. When the end happens, a primary task is to let go. Something new will not begin if we do not let go of what has come to an end. In other words, we only hold on to what is important and of the essence.
It’s similar to the Hebrews when they crossed the Red Sea. Responding to God’s initiative, they had to let go of the life they had had in Egypt and risk the desert in order to arrive at the promised land. Tragically, many decided the risk was too high and chose to remain in the slavery of Egypt. It is a temptation to become defensive and gets stuck in trying to revive the old. When the church doors were closed, it was good to say, the church is not here because it is out on a mission. When we took on live streaming, it was good to say that we are not addicted to a building, because the church is people.
We can also take a cue from the Resurrection of Christ. The Resurrection was not a coming back to life; returning to the way it was before death. The death of Christ was the absolute humbling experience of God that revealed the resurrected Christ, as a totally new creation, and now completely as a servant to all and for all. Maybe that is what is wanting to be born in and of us. A church that will always be on mission, not addicted to a building, not destroyed by the pandemic, but clearly transformed into a people who will be humble servants to all.
The pandemic has been pushing us towards a new beginning. We saw the church doors closed, we celebrated many funerals, and have shed many tears. We spent so much time with fear and confusion. In other words, the first two stages of ending and neutral zone. It now does seem that we are geƫng close to the dawn of a new beginning. We need to be ready to make a leap into something new. Obviously, it’s going to be a challenge.
Father Francisco Gómez, S.T.