How do you get through a cold and depressing winter? Our answer this year: citrus! Oh my goodness, we go through bags and bags of oranges! We started making homemade orange juice and it has been like medicine to the soul. And we learned to make key lime pie!
In response to the new "UK" variant of Covid, that is more contagious and even more deadly, Europe is locking down, and Italy is no exception. All schools went back online, including the youngest grades. One year after the first lockdown, we are still in lockdown!
One perk about this very hard situation is we have so much time together. Just yesterday, Clare and I chitchatted over our morning coffee, laughing about memories, including Leigh at age 6 having 2 "goose eggs" at the same time, one on each side of her forehead. Poor girl! Clare and I talked about all sorts of things and honestly, I wouldn't give anything for that morning.
Another perk is all the time I have for reading theology. Now that classes are online, all my time commuting into Rome I can now dedicate to study. I've plunged into ancient Greek, Acts of the Apostles, Eschatology, History of the Early Church, and the Trinity. It is transforming me in ways I don't think I even understand. I am so grateful for this opportunity to study and for this time with my family.
We had a blast with our friends the Sittas going to a kids' adventure park. The zip lines were a big favorite! Here is a link to a short clip of our fun:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UMsG5bnEH5ZTCP7ShT8uZiOebOB07Dwa/view?usp=sharing
Today I was suddenly struck by the awareness: I am so grateful that I am a Christian. Awed and amazed, I welled up with rejoicing the rest of the day.
I had been quite upset about an interaction. It made me afraid and anxious. . . generally disturbed to the core. How long would I be trapped in this anxiety?
I carved out my daily prayer time. To be honest, it was just out of sheer duty. I wish I could say that I run with alacrity each day to my Bible and quiet space, but days like today it was force of the will, like going to the doctor for a check up which I don't want to do but have to do and just make myself do it.
I opened my Bible and was struck by these words as though seeing them for the first time: "Let all that you do be done with love" (I Cor. 15). With love--YES--this is how to be more than a brute, more than an animal. This is how to transcend the Darwinian fight for survival. This is how to approach the heavens while still on earth. This is how I want to be.
But while I desired that, I was too upset. I was chained by my upset and anxiety. I was mad. How do you just decide with your human will to do all that you do with love? It is beyond human capacity.
Then I read another passage from the Bible. The reading was from the Old Testament and it described the ark of the covenant. It was called The Seat of Mercy.
As by the Holy Spirit, I was overwhelmed with a supernatural conviction: Afix the ark of the covenant in your heart. Place this mercy seat in your heart, right behind your ribs, and it shall not be moved. Then you can BE MERCY to all whom you encounter.
This moment was followed by a short burst of prayer of mercy for my enemies. I prayed for compassion, goodness and kindness to be poured out on the person/persons making me so upset. I did not have positive feelings for them, but I made the choice to ask God to bless them abundantly.
The Holy Spirit enabled me in that moment to live out the call: "Let all that you do be done with love." Could I have done that as an atheist? No way in hell. No way. No way. No way. Darwin explains well why we are so good at self-protection, so fierce about either attacking or fleeing from harm. We are wired for fear and anger. It is, on some base level, good for us. That makes it almost impossible to transcend.
But the God of love and the God who IS LOVE gave me a sudden supernatural ability to choose mercy. It was through the holy and sacred Scriptures. Were it not for grace, scripture and prayer, and the movement of the Spirit's grace in my soul, I would never have alighted upon this solution.
I accepted the reality of the Mercy Seat placed in my heart. I then pushed through the remaining hours of my day, dealing with the problems facing me. And I just centered myself on the Mercy Seat. It changed everything. I saw differently. I heard differently. Instead of evil I saw a flicker of goodness. Instead of wrong I saw good intentions. God gave me a tongue that was able to speak a bit of goodwill with a tone of gentleness. How did that happen? How did this breakthrough come?
Honestly it is the daily miracle of my life as a Christian.
Ron initiated a trip to Subiaco, Italy, where St. Benedict founded western monasticism. It was AMAZING! I made a video of it and you can see it on my Instagram account. The journey to the monastery was as "impressive" as the monastery itself--don't attempt to drive those roads if you are skittish about heights or Italian drivers!
https://www.instagram.com/kathrynrombs/
Here's another one to add to my list of movies I've never seen before that I really enjoyed: While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock is adorable and the whole movie is light-hearted and very clean. Enjoy!
