Over the last 6 months, our world has shifted; even though in reality it is always moving. When things become stagnant, they reek of death. We live a dynamic day to day experience filled with constant whirling, movement and transition. How do we balance ourselves in this tumult? What can we grasp and hold on to for security? Searching the Gospel of John we find a solid path.
Jesus says to Mary Magdalene at the tomb,
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
John 20:16-18
Like Mary, we can’t hold on physically to one another at this time, but we can hold on emotionally, which can be stronger than a physical embrace with people. Mary finds Jesus in front of her. He is also with us. We are called to be intentional and live into our relationships, emotionally. This requires us to be vulnerable, to surrender, and to not resist new circumstances.
As Bishop Mariann Budde says: “to accept what we do not choose is holy work.” Mary Magdalene did not choose the circumstances of the death of Jesus; she accepts the situation presented to her. Mary transcends earthy physicality and moves into embracing Jesus with her soul. Emmanuel, God is with us especially when we are most alone and frightened.
Over my life I have spent much of my working time in the classroom, in person with students. I have also been a team teacher with distinguished colleagues. One of the very best parts of being a teacher is working with other teachers. They are generous, kind, selfless, smart and creative. Our bond as teachers is beyond the physical. We support one another in ways that are not tangible. This is also true of the clergy. Our strength is in each other.
I am a teacher- priest. Being both is an honor and privilege. As a lifelong teacher, I am interested in the convergence of the ideas and concepts which intersect in the humanities. I realize I am a purveyor of stories. Humbled by the circumstances which have been presented in 2020, I ask: “How do we teach, today? How do we learn today?” This too is relevant in my work as clergy. “How do we reach each other” ?
Learning and teaching are fused together organically. The very best teachers and clergy continue to learn and grow for a lifetime. The space between teaching and learning is blurred. The two practices cannot be separated with clarity. In my experience, the best teachers and clergy are those who continued to follow their passion wherever those passions took them.
Academics do not receive “terminal” degrees. Life continues to present to all unique lessons; also some lessons that behoove us to unlearn. Living in continual paradox, the more we learn, the more we realize we need to discover. Discovering, uncovering, revealing, walking the path where the mind wanders takes us to unexpected places. Holy Scripture leads us in unexpected ways to unexpected places.
Thus, learning how to teach and preach online has presented me with a paradox. Engaging people with excitement and creativity online is certainly a challenge. Sometimes I feel like Sisphus pushing up the boulder with all my strength only to have it roll down again and start from the beginning. I’m tired and frustrated; I feel inadequate at times. Nothing seems to be predictable and certain. But maybe that’s because I am looking into places that do not reveal what is essential to life. Life is more than the physical.
What drew me to teaching was an idealistic view that I could help others engage in learning and explore the world of the story and its deeper meaning. Reading and writing stirs us to a place beyond ourselves. We are able to consider metaphors and archetypes that profoundly reveal atavistic meaning to us. And isn’t that what life leads us through? A deeper sense of knowing?
Stories mean more than the literal level of interpretation.
When preaching, Jesus is often speaking in parables, and we are invited into his ethical world of “How do we live?” Rather than just speaking direct truths, he weaves stories that teach a profound lesson of loving one’s neighbor, no matter who they are in the Good Samaritan, and forgiving and celebrating those we love, in the Prodigal.
Being a Baby Boomer, I am coming to a phase at the apex of my teaching journey. Just when I thought I knew the skill of teaching with accuracy and aplomb, everything has changed. What is certain? Relationships built on the foundation of caring and love.
Sacrifice and “speaking the truth in love” as Saint Paul exhorts. Our relationships must not be distant; our relationships are alive when we are engaged and empathetic. How do we check in with each other on a screen? What can make this present situation more inviting? How can we comfort each other during these times of anxiety and frustration?
I do not have all the answers to these existential questions for sure. What I do know is that rarely is learning distant. It usually is up close and personal. And it forces us to reimagine ourselves and others. No longer can we depend on the status quo. Learning is constant and it never ends as long as we are alive. Even in our last moments on earth we are gleaning new insights of existence. As long as the learner is open, one is always in the process of gaining new information, insights, and building relationships. Hopefully during this unprecedented time of uncertainty and the unexpected, let us commit with zeal, to searching for new meaning in our daily practices.
The Rev. Mary Ellen Cassini, D.Min. is Chaplain at Palmer Trinity School in Miami, FL.