I mentioned the Spirit, so let me talk a little bit about my spirit since the body is the spirit and the soul is the body and the spirit is I and I and I. My spirit has been in a low place lately: family members having difficult times, feeling a sense of overwork, Haiti, Chile, politics in the USA, tiring of winter (this Jamaican does not do well in the cold), noticing that this Lent has been more distracting than others, noticing how cranky I am, noticing the hardships in the life of many friends and noticing how hard it is to tell the truth or the Truth. So my spirit has been heavy and I want to own that, claim that, and embrace that. And I do that “spiritually” without denying the joys, the Love, the graces, the love, the redemption and the peace that comes in many different, unexpected, and surprising ways.

Now to the body: I was in St. Louis last week with a group of Roman Catholics looking at “the history of preaching”. One of them from California invited me to walk for an hour and a half each day. My body felt healed doing that and my spirit said thanks. However, I am beginning to notice that my body aches: my back, my heart, my fingers, my feet and those knees. I love it. I love them. I am growing old and it is okay. Last week, Mark Anthony served me up a thrashing on the basketball court. Panting and about to have a heart attack, I could only laugh and say to him, “My body is not what it used to be anymore.”

Back to the Spirit: At the heart of the icon/collage, there is a poem which reads:

you can easily endure
any bitter face around
in the absence of malice
here is nothing but
happiness and good times
don’t dwell in sorrow my friend                                                                                                       Hafiz

Hopefully, Lent will heal your body and heal your soul and your spirit or put them together in a beautiful way….