I have discovered that you can have jet lag without the jet. For the past two mornings I have had one foot in Assisi, Italy (virtually) attending a seminar on proposals to open a space on the Roman liturgical calendar for a feast celebrating the Creator and the mystery of creation. The proposals emerge from the current ecumenical World Day of Prayer for Creation on September 1. Things got moving at 9 in the morning in Assisi, which, of course, is 3am here. Perforce I was up and tuned in both days. The speakers were clear (and the translators - the conference was in Italian and English with instantaneous translation) and engaging so not hard to be awake in the morning. Harder by the end of the day -- which also featured a seminar talk at Temple University's School of Parmacy and a delightful lunch with their graduate students.
As virtual meetings go, this one has been smooth. I missed the chance for the random conversations over shared meals and at breaks, but the ability to be present even in a limited way with people from all over the world was great.
It was delightful to get to use the synodal listening approach in this more universal context. My parish has been using it regularly, so it was familiar and comfortable for me.
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