For the last two weeks, the people of Great Britain, and much of the world, have been mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth II. The impressive display of flowers, tributes, and memorials outside Buckingham Palace, churches, neighborhoods, homes, shops, and throughout England has been touching. Millions of people have come to London to honor the Queen and show their loyalty and love. Even with these large crowds, the lines were quiet, calm, and respectful.
Mourners outside Buckingham Palace
As I saw the crowds, the shrines, and the prayers being offered over the last few weeks, I was reminded of a medieval pilgrimage. History tells us that these pilgrimages could be long, overcrowded, and often rowdy, but the travelers were always aware that God was with them.
One mourner commented that even though the crowds were outdoors and in the streets, the atmosphere was like being in church. A merchant who set up a tribute in his shop window near the palace said it was his attempt to “transform secular space into sacred space.”
For more than a week, merchants, military, politicians, and ordinary people have been doing this throughout the United Kingdom - transforming the “secular” into the “sacred.”
Our modern world has created a spiritual-secular divide. Most people recognize that there is a place for God and religion but usually only for an hour during the weekend and in a designated space. The rest of our lives are often considered separate from spirituality.
Yet during times of national tragedy or mourning (in the U.S., I think of the aftermath of 9/11), these divisions become blurred. The ‘‘mix and match” of contemporary spirituality becomes evident. In England, while “secular spaces” like the gardens outside Buckingham Palace were converted to “sacred space,” people also flocked to the nation’s cathedrals to light candles and say prayers.
Christianity has always rejected the artificial separation between the secular and the sacred. Our faith should be all-encompassing and influence every dimension of our lives: at home, at work, in our communities, and in our churches. The Kingdom of God permeates our whole world.
Saint Francis de Sales understood this and taught this throughout his life. Salesian Spirituality reminds us that everything is sacred and everyone is called to the devout life.
The Spiritual Directory that he gave to the Visitation Sisters (and handed down to the Oblates) is a reminder that all of our actions and activities are ways to make the everyday holy and to transform the secular into the sacred. In this way, the Salesian way of life echoes the teaching of Saint Paul,
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).”
Rev. Jack Kolodziej, OSFS
Provincial
Wilmington-Philadelphia Providence
