I Can't Stand It No Longer

Yes, our internet connection crashed again. No, it was nobody’s fault. But here’s my story you missed.

In the movie, “Steel Magnolia,” there is a memorable scene that takes place at a cemetery after the death of the mother’s daughter. The funeral service had ended and family and friends were walking back to their cars when the mother’s girlfriends noticed mom standing alone in front of her daughter’s casket. 

One by one, her four best female friends, come back to be by her side. After a long silence, one young woman shared her faith saying that while this is a terrible tragedy they should be rejoicing because she believed the daughter is with the angels in heaven. The mother looked up at her with stern eyes and said, “Well, I’m glad that you’re rejoicing, but I don’t feel joyful, I’m angry. I’m so angry and I just want to hit something.” 

Her mother-in-law, pipes up and says, “go ahead hit Louisa,” who is the cranky old neighbor. The neighbor looks at this mother-in-law and says: “who the hell are you to tell her to hit me.” The mother-in-law says, “it will be good for you, let her hit you, it might get some of that meanness out of you.”  The neighbor is outraged and stomps out of the cemetery in a huff. At that moment, all the women started to burst out laughing. Tears are in their eyes and they are hysterically laughing. Another girlfriend says, “we needed to laugh to break the hurt and sadness, it just too much.”

I believe all of us have felt just like that mom who want to scream out of anger and hit something with what has been happening these past four months. The uncertainty, the injustice, the violence, the fear of what is going to happen next.

We need good friends like this mother found in her darkest moment to give her the strength and courage to carry on. Jesus taught, “come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest.” Like these girlfriends, Jesus wants to be your companion. When we are at our wits end and ready to explode with anger and rage, Jesus says “hit me” meaning… talk to me, tell me how lonely, or desperate, or anxious, or upset you feel. Believe me, trust in me and when you let it all out, you might not laugh, but you will find calm.

Today, in your prayers, when you are in a funk and so angry and fed up with life, “hit Him,” meaning… pour out your soul and tell Jesus how you are feeling--alone, worried, confused, exhausted. “Hit Him,” pray to Jesus and let His love soothe your anger and bring you peace and calm.   

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends, Holy Family parishioners and Zoom friends that when we get hot under the collar about anything, we hit You with our anxious feelings and allow your spirit to fill us with your patience, mercy and understanding. Question. Who needs a call right now from you, so that you can let them scream, rant and rave until all their pain is empty and bathe in God’s healing grace. Call, text or zoom them right now and “be their companion.”

What Are You Afraid Of?

Let’s start with some fantastic new, a record 465 chicken BBQ dinners were served to support Charlotte Comfort Home. Thank you to all the volunteers and those who came to support this ministry of Our Lord’s compassion. All the safety protocols were in place and no one felt afraid to come to pick up their dinners.

After months of quarantine, after weeks of protest and unrest, no doubt there’s a pretty lengthy list of things that we are afraid of. That’s piled on top of the things we carry in our own lives and families.  Maybe you’re not worried about COVID, but about that friend who’s dealing with a disease that’s far more known and can be far more dangerous.  Maybe your job has been interrupted by a temporary layoff. I’m thinking of some police officers right now who feel more vulnerable and less supported and protected than ever before.   There’s no shortage of fears to contend with on a pretty regular basis.

This morning, I was speaking with a friend about their returning to Mass for the first time after months of quarantine.  All of the safety protocols that you could have imagined or anticipated were already in place in his church. When I asked him how it went he said “yeah I ended up not going.” He started going through a list of things “yeah, well you know they said that the obligation is still not in force and I’m nervous about going there just yet and I figure let me give it a few weeks…”  But I said to him – “dude, you were at Home Depot last Friday, you’ve already got your hair cut, you get take out all the time,  you keep checking for an update on when your gym is reopening – not for nothing, that’s a lame excuse.” We’ll see how he makes out this weekend.  

Not to pick on him or anyone, and I am very cautious and told my parishioners to stay safe and remain home if they are ill or have a prior medical condition if they are fearful to come to Sunday Mass.

However, have we have allowed safety and precaution now to grip us from receiving the most nourishing thing we can receive for our souls, Jesus’ body and blood in the Eucharist…

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who look to you for wisdom and courage during these scary times. In our prayers today, may the Spirit guide us to return to our churches to be fed and nourished by the Bread of Life. 22 attended Mass at Holy Family yesterday, maybe another 22 will join them next Sunday to nourish our weary souls.

What to Expect When Mass Resumes

As painful as the decision was to suspend all public Masses at Holy Family, during the Covid 19 pandemic, the process was necessary for your safety and health.

As we see numbers flatten and decrease, we are beginning to sense the situation improving. In the interest of the common good, we do not want to contribute to a second wave that could disrupt our liturgical life.

As health restrictions are eased and we are able to start gathering together again, it is important for everyone to accept that things will not immediately go back to life before the Corona virus.

We know the desire to return to our parish, participate in the liturgy, and receive the Eucharist is incredibly strong, but we ask that everyone approach this reopening with a patient, loving and charitable mindset. 

Holy Family will resume public Mass on Sunday, June 21^st for Father’s Day.

Five Things to Be Mindful of During the Return Process

1. A general dispensation from the Sunday obligation will remain until further notice. The dispensation for the obligation to attend Mass will remain in effect. No one will be required to attend Mass when public celebrations resume. Hence, live stream Masses for parishioners at home will continue.

2. Attendance will be limited. Restrictions will remain on holding large gatherings, and your Parish Committee is working on the best way to ensure safety. The current State guideline is 25% capacity for our place of worship. It is likely that all parishioners may not be able to attend Mass regularly at first.

3. Social Distancing will be practiced. Our parish will have pews that are taped off, and that households, even of one individual, will be asked to keep six feet of separation from each other. No one will be admitted without a mask. If you do not have one, we will supply you with a mask, that you must wear during Mass.  If you are uncomfortable wearing a mask, or you have an illness that prevents you from wearing a mask, stay home. Parishioners should take their temperature before coming to Mass. Anyone with any symptoms of sickness must stay home to ensure the safety of all. 

4. Liturgical changes will be in place. Similar to protocols established when churches were closing, extra precautions will be taken. Temporary adjustments will be made to how we celebrate Mass and receive Communion.

5. There still will be a risk for anyone who attends a public Mass. Even with best health practices and strict social distancing, anyone who enters a public space should recognize there is a risk of contracting any virus, including coronavirus. Improved cleaning will occur at our church, but no one should expect that they will be any safer from germs than in other public spaces.

Finally, we should recognize that this is a unique time and we need to continue to work together to make progress. There will be challenges and frustration. You may choose not to attend Mass for the first few week and that’s fine. However, we believe these guidelines are a call to love our neighbors.

If we all work together, we can incrementally expand our options and increase our participation in the liturgy. However, if we look for ways to get around the regulations, we will likely contribute to the sickness and death of others, creating situations that force us to take steps back. Each of us is called to be faithful members of the Body of Christ as we implement the reopening of our churches. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do in our parish communities.

“Be strong and take heart, all who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:25

We Need Hope

We do need hope! We need hope as we witness the distress of our brothers and sisters who are suffering with the virus. We need hope as we are barraged by stories about the pandemic and its economic toll. We need hope that the violence in our streets will be ended with peaceful walks with justice for all—these days that seem to blend one into the other—will not last forever. We need hope that we will be able to return to our routines and some semblance of life as we knew it. I have noticed that as I encounter the endless onslaught of sad and distressing stories, I hold my breath. Perhaps it is the uncertainly of it all, or maybe I’m holding my breath and waiting to hear something good. Or perhaps, as one friend put it, “I’m holding my breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop.” As I talk with friends, I hear the widespread feeling that despite our best efforts to social distance, cover our faces, and sanitize, we don’t have a lot of control. Facing an invisible threat on a global scale causes anxiety. And so, we hold our breath. As long as we are well, though, there is one thing that we do have control over: our breath. Well, the ancient Hebrews would argue that we don’t even have control over that, because our breath is breathed into us by God. Their word for breath, ruah, also means “spirit” as well as, “air in motion: sometimes the wind; at other times breath or vitality and life-giving power” Jesuit Anthony de Mello, in his book, Sadhana: A Way to God, speaks further of the ruah: “If a man lived, it was because God kept putting his breath, his ‘spirit’ into this man. It was the presence of this Spirit of God that kept the man alive.” The ruah, then, was God’s continuous breath within the individual, God’s continuous gift of life. So, while we may not control the breath that God breathes into us, we at least can control our awareness of our breath, and this will affect our spirit as well. There is an exercise that I have found particularly helpful in these stressful times when I observe myself holding my breath. While in an upright posture, relax your body, slowly, from head to toe. Now, very slowly, breathe in deeply through your nose, and then breathe slowly out through your mouth. Now begin this contemplation: While you breathe in, be conscious of God’s Spirit coming into you…Fill your lungs with the divine energy he brings with him… While you breathe out, imagine you are breathing out all your impurities…your fears…your negative feelings… Imagine you see your whole body becoming radiant and alive through this process of breathing in God’s life-giving Spirit and breathing out all your impurities… Breathe in compassion for yourself—and others. Breathe out any anxieties you have about your health and your loved ones’ health. Breathe in God’s peace. Breathe out any concerns you have right now over your finances. Breathe in God’s assurance that these times will pass. Breathe out whatever is causing you fear or anxiety right now. Breathe in God’s promise of new life; breathe in hope. Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we are aware that it is the breath of God that gives us life and strength during these difficult time. Help us all to breath a little bit easier today.