Friday, November 6

Wayne and I started doing morning and evening prayer sporadically in March when the first shutdown began. It seemed a simple enough way to stay in touch with our St. Mark’s community. We didn’t think the shutdown would last for more than a few weeks, and what would be the harm in saying a few prayers and hearing a few passages of scripture while we rode out this temporary change?

Anyway, since we both began working from home, the Daily Office served to ‘bookend’ each day. As our world spiraled into an increasingly less predictable routine because of the pandemic, participating in the Daily Office provided a sense of stability. We didn’t think of it so much as a commitment, but more as way to continue our faith in the absence of Mass. Now, as the world around us seems bleaker, more troubled, and more chaotic, and as our government leaders (of all stripes!) struggle ineptly in their leadership roles, participating in the daily ritual of morning and evening prayer has been a great source of comfort, hope, and yes, even joy.

We are grateful to see all the faces that regularly log onto Zoom. Some in the morning, some in the evening, and some for both. Some from London, some from Florida, Manila, Hauula, Kapahulu, and even one from the next room! We are grateful for the succor of the collects, and the opportunity to pray for the needs of others. We are grateful for the very Psalms, which often seem violent and downright scary, but in context all have their purpose. We are grateful for the scriptures, which, not unlike binge-watching seasons of TV shows on Netflix, we tune into daily to find out ‘what on earth are our wayward ancestors are up to now!?’. Then the reality hits that, we aren’t really all that much different or removed from them.

We continue to make the same mistakes, missteps, and miscalculations. We are grateful to be reminded that history, when not learned, surely repeats itself; yet, God’s mercy is always there to catch us when we fall. For the Daily Office, and the honor our community of Saint Mark’s has to share it together, we give thanks.

John Schamber and Wayne Yoshigai