Joshua Minden (00:09):

Welcome back to another episode of Stories and Other Things Holy. This week we're going back into the archives into some footage that Terry and I, and a team that we are a part of, used in another project years ago. This reflection came at the end of Easter as well, which we are in now, as we were approaching our preparations for Pentecost and also reflecting on the themes of Real Presence - of Eucharist. And I think this is a fitting and thoughtful moment to share this reflection with you this week. I pray this story may compel you into a richer preparation for the coming season of Pentecost as we prepare for the birthday of the church, for the coming of the Holy Spirit. I pray that your hearts will be opened to what God wants to do in your life - is revealing to you, to today. We're so glad that you're with us here again for another Story and Other Things Holy.

Terry Nelson-Johnson (01:26):

At the end of the Camino Santiago, there is this cathedral. And in the cathedral is, I don't forget the technical name of the incense, but you know what I talk about. And this thing is majestic and breathtaking, and I think our Pentecost celebration is going to be sort of like that. So basically you don't want to miss Pentecost, but in order to get to Pentecost, we have to be nourished. In order to be nourished, we have to live eucharistically. In order to do that, we have to contemplate presence. And I want to give a nod to Father Terry because I heard this from him first, and it just struck me as being so on target. He said, you've had the experience of being standing right next to someone and they're not really there. They're not really present. And then you've had the experience of talking to someone on the phone who's 10,000 miles away, and you can feel them.

(02:23):

They are completely and utterly present to you. And so part of the Eucharist hangs on is contingent on our understanding of presence. And when I think about all this, a beautiful story comes to mind, and it involves Cesar Chavez. I went on a retreat with Brother David Stader Ross at a working Zen monastery in California. So I'll just, and it was a dialogue, a Christian Zen Buddhist dialogue a week, and Brother David represented the voice of the Christian imagination. And then we had all these dialogues. It was unbelievably beautiful. And at that time in his life, and he's still living, but is somewhat fragile, I think probably late eighties. And he needed assistance when he would travel. And so his assistant in this particular trip was Cesar Chavez's grandson. So I'm totally intrigued by this was a big fan of Cesar Chavez. And so we're late at night up in the mountains around a fire, unbelievable.

(03:36):

And Cesar Chavez's grandson tells this story. He's like, one of my grandfather's favorite stories was this experience that he had during his farm workers days. And they had a rally, a farm worker rally, and it was intense and he was passionate. And at the end of the rally, things got a little out of control in a good way. Everybody's just roused up. And they all sort of rushed the stage to just be close to Caesar Chavez, which is fascinating, that desire to be close to something that's holy, which has a lot to do with the Eucharist actually. And so everyone wanted to be close to Cesar Chavez. And there was a journalist, not unlike the journalist that followed Martin Luther King and Gandhi sort of documenting their work so that the world would be appraised of what's happening here. So the kids sort of young, and he has his, I imagine him having that five in 10 drugstore spiral notebook and the pencil. So he has a little notebook and he has his pencil poised, and then the crowd surges and they just push him into Cesar Chavez. And now they're smooshed together, which I think is a technical term, and they're like two inches apart, and the kid is complete, has no idea what to say. So he looks around, he feels all the energy. He says, Mr. Chavez, these farm workers sure do love you.

(05:07):

And Cesar Chavez says, it's mutual. It's mutual. I remember what my body felt like when I first heard the story, and I knew I didn't understand it, but I knew that the story held God. And at some point, I connected the story to the part of theology of our Eucharist that says, in order for Eucharist to work, we have to have a living relationship with presence. And I think sometimes we think the presence is just one-sided, like God is present and then we watch God. I think the only reason Eucharist works is if the presence is mutual, God can be present. All God wants to be, and I think that's all God wants to be, is to be present. But if the present isn't mutual, it doesn't work. It's not a magic show. There's something mysterious about mutual presence, and what the Eucharist suggests is God's ready at any time. You want to come to the table, come to the table.

(06:19):

You want to be part of the feast, come to the feast. But if you come, this will only work if we are mutually present. If you're standing right next to the liturgy of the Eucharist and you're not present, it's not going to work. But we've discovered over the course of these last two years in particular, that real presence can work right through technology. Such a mystery. And so I pray that during this last segment of our pilgrimage, as we approach the cathedral, begin to sense and smell the incense and get ready to dance at Pentecost, that we might commit ourselves to presence, to mutual presence. Jesus, these people sure do love you. It's mutual. It's mutual. Church says...O Amen.

Joshua Minden (07:32):

I am so thankful that you were able to join us this week for another episode of Stories and Other Things Holy. If this is your first time with us, we encourage you to visit our website: StoriesandOtherThingsHoly.com. There, you can sign up for our weekly email newsletter and access previous episodes of the podcast. If this podcast has been impactful for you, the most important thing we can request of you is to share it with others, forward the email or forward the YouTube link. Getting the word out about this podcast is one of the most meaningful things you can do to help support us. Additionally, if you would like to share your feedback with us, a story or some other insight you might have that could enhance our work, I invite you to email me at connect@otherthingsholy.com. We'll see you next week with another Story and Other Things. Holy.