Pope Francis calls us to be part of an 'astounding Church', a Church that is going to make a difference, especially as we prepare to enter an era of the new normal.

A Church which is unable to ASTOUND is a Church that is weak, sick and dying, and that needs admission to the intensive care unit as soon as possible. (Pentecost Sunday 2014)

The Holy Father has told us that we must move on from the comfort of the 'we've always done it this way' mentality. These past two years has asked so much of us; we have been challenged and forced to be creative in how we can continue to be a Church of mission and new ideas, as Jesus advocates in the parable of the new wine skins in Mark's Gospel:

'No one puts new wine into old wine skins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well. One puts new wine into fresh wine skins.' (Mk 2:22)

Many of you will have seen the amazing musical based on the life of the Victorian entrepreneur, PT Barnum. 'The Greatest Showman' reflects the glorious highs and painful lows that hit him, his family and friends. Like us all, he gets so much right and fails miserably too—he is all too human. The movie shows him gathering a group of misfits who are rejected by society because of their perceived 'differences.' Barnum encourages them and helps them to discover their inner hero. His deep love for his wife, Charity and his children, is compromised by his desire to tour and bring his circus across the world, leaving his family in a wilderness. It is further challenged by his growing feelings for the 'Swedish Nightingale', Jenny Lind. As her husband is absent once more, Charity sings the beautiful song, 'Tightrope'—so appropriate for a musical about a circus. In this hauntingly evocative music, she reflects on the risks we must take in life. Just like the trapeze artist, all of us must walk the tightrope of life, conscious that we could fall and fail at any time. If we are not prepared to take risks, then we will never enter relationships, find new friends, or make exciting new vocational choices. She reminds us that life is a risk—a risk that the experience of these past two years have made us even more aware of:

Some people long for a life that is simple and planned
Tied with a ribbon
Some people won't sail the sea 'cause they're safer on land
To follow what's written
But I'd follow you to the great unknown
Off to a world we call our own
Hand in my hand
And we promised to never let go
We're walking a tightrope
High in the sky
We can see the whole world down below
We're walking a tightrope
Never sure, never know how far we could fall
But it's all an adventure
That comes with a breath-taking view
Walking a tightrope.

Charity discovered that life with Barnum was never going to be pedestrian: he took her beyond the cosy middle class existence of her parents. Their life together was not neat, 'simple and planned.' As we move out of 'plan B', aware that the pandemic is not over, we realise that life has taken us on an exciting journey that is not over yet. Walking high on the tightrope of life, we will be challenged in so many ways, even to being simply being asked to take a vaccination that not only saves your life, but the lives of others around you. 'High in the sky, we can see the world below'—the pandemic has given us all a unique chance to see who and what was important to us. The fire that ripped through his theatre, helped Barnum to see what counted in his life, as he raced through the streets of New York to be reunited with his family. The tightrope gives us a chance of a new perspective on life and make choices that will help. In the song Charity helps us see that we never journey through life alone—thank God for those who take risks with you, while you must take the risk that they will be there for you should you fall:

Hand in my hand
And you promised to never let go
We're walking a tightrope
High in the sky
We can see the whole world down below
We're walking a tightrope
Never sure, will you catch me if I should fall?

The new normal will demand a change in how we are called to be a Eucharistic People. We might want to return for a life that is "simple and planned" but the reality is that we cannot go back. During the height of the lockdown, we were called to respond to this pandemic in the most serious and hard-hitting way: the majority of us were unable to share the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Blessing. This has been a heavy sacrifice for the followers of Jesus to share because we are a Eucharistic People. The trapeze artist has a unique view of the world: up there they can see what is going on. Perhaps we are being asked to now head into "the great unknown" and be prepared to walk with Jesus "hand in my hand and we promise to never let go!" We are invited to share our vision of Church with those we love and care for, those we are sharing our lockdown with. On the tightrope we will have to take a risk if we are going to move forward. We cannot look back and Jesus tells us as much:

"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)

The Church of the new normal will have to build the future, based on firm foundations. The Church of the new normal will be dynamic and will seek out new ways to bring Good News, as we have seen so dramatically in these past few months. As we respond to the Pope's call to astound, let us be positive and see the good in each other. Some of us are all too willing to destroy and break others down; in the new normal perhaps you are being called to stop, pause and think: are my words or actions going to build up the Body of Christ? In this astounding picture of Church, I hope you can realise that "It's all an adventure that comes with a breath-taking view." I pray that we share the beauty of that view of our Church. As a Church family we are being invited into a spirit of being a synodical community—a community that listens to each other. I would like to think that, as adults, we will listen more to our children and grandchildren especially, as they have a unique perspective on the pandemic that we must listen to. In so doing we are following the example of Jesus. In the gospels, we see Jesus listening to his friends—time and time again. In the Gospel, when Jesus is called to heal the daughter of Jairus, a woman with a haemorrhage touches the cloak of Jesus. Immediately she is cured, and we are told that Jesus listens as she "fell at his feet and told him the whole truth" (Mark 5:34). As happens, time and time again, Jesus wishes her well and invites her to go in peace —but first, he listens to her story, just as he listened to the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

To enter a new normal, we need to remember those key workers in the NHS, Social Services, schools, voluntary agencies and parishes—those who have made a difference and entered our lives just when we needed them. We need to listen to what they are saying and try to understand their perspective and see what will make a difference. We need to open to new ways of doing things, and learn so much from the mystic, John O'Donohue, as he reflects:

Your beloved and your friends were once strangers. Somehow at a particular time, they came from the distance toward your life. Their arrival seemed so accidental and contingent. Now your life is unimaginable without them. Similarly, your identity and vision are composed of a certain constellation of ideas and feelings that surfaced from the depths of the distance within you. To lose these now would be to lose yourself. (Anam Cara)

That breath-taking view is with us now: just open your eyes and take the risk with Pope Francis:

God is not afraid of new things! That is why he is constantly surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways. He renews us: he constantly makes us 'new' (19/10/2014)

Let us not be afraid to walk that tightrope together!

Watch and reflect:

Author: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Image: Danilo Batista on Unsplash