May 2008
The month of May for many people around the world is a time of increased activity. In some parts of the world it is considered the first days of summer and is a time of preparation for the fall harvest. For many of us at St. Theodore’s it is a time for graduations. Our children or grandchildren are moving up in the educational system to a new grade or a new college adventure in the fall, whereas others are being gently pushed out of the system and told, “Now it’s time to put your education to work in the market place.”
There is an old May Day church custom I would like to revive. I have never experienced this custom but only read about it. It sounds like just the thing we need to be doing. It sounds like a fun way to live into Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, and St. Paul’s reflection that we should “in everything give thanks.”
It is known as the May Basket custom. In some places it was not just practiced on the first day of May but continued all month. People would put into small baskets or sacks a cookie or a candy bar, maybe some flowers, or a piece of fruit – something small – and a note of thanksgiving for the person being their church neighbor. Words of encouragement and cheerful greetings to one another were the order of the day. Complaints were discouraged for a month.
The modern version of this custom was the slogan: “Practice random acts of kindness.” The baskets weren’t random but had the intention of unifying a community as they emerged from their homes after winter and graduated to a new season more favorable to outdoor activities.
In the church calendar, May 8 is the day we celebrate the witness of Julian of Norwich. She lived during a great time of darkness in England including through two sieges of the Black Plague. Each siege killed over one third of the population in Norwich. Yet in the midst of the darkest of moments, she could see clearly the light of Christ and the joy that comes from being alive and in union with God and with all our neighbors. She understood the importance of every human being and constantly gave thanks to God for all those who entered into her life.
Let us practice planned acts of kindness during the month of May. Let us look for the light of Christ in those God has given us to live with in this part of God’s Kingdom. I think we will like what happens when we daily seek the good in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Fr. Ken †
