They say that every cloud
has a silver lining
and for us
the silver lining of the Covid chaos
has been our discovery
of the Latin Mass.

All of the Mass is in Latin,
which we don’t understand,
and because of that
it all feels
like a bit of a mystery –
and that’s part of the appeal.

Because Mass is a mystery,
a sacrifice,
where mere bread and wine
are transformed on the altar
into the body and blood of Christ
so that Jesus becomes truly present
among us.

The wonder of God
right before our very eyes,
here, on the altar –
so sacred, so holy,
so mysterious!

The Latin, the incense,
the reverence, the unhurried Mass,
the choir singing like angels
all combine to convey a sense
of mystery, of awe,
a sense of the power
of Almighty God.

And so, in the chaos of Covid,
the three of us take refuge
in the Latin Mass –
my husband, our son and me.
There we find our peace.
It’s our silver lining –
thank you, Lord!

© Claire Murray, 25th November 2021