Eyes of Christ

I had just returned from Zooming another Sunday Mass with 30 faithful parishioners wearing their masks. My story was about a young man who proposed to his future wife. But there was a catch. His future wife was a caregiver to her sister with Downs Syndrome and diabetes. If he wanted her hand in marriage, he would have to include her sister in their life together.

No problem for this young man. The image I projected on the screen showed a field of flowers and he is giving a family heirloom ring to her sister. Next, he was on bended knee for his future spouse was next in line. What a friend!

So now home from Sunday Mass, I decided to take a book and head for the stream, set up my chair in the stream, listening to the water spilling over the rocks. A book, cup of iced tea, and a shady tree—the perfect afternoon! As I opened my book, I said to myself, “I cannot believe this is happening!” The story I am reading is about a mom who also had a quiet moment from being quarantined when she experienced the following moment.

“About 20 minutes into reading, I saw two brown eyes on top of a blonde head suddenly peer at me from over the edge of my book. Instantly, I knew it was my six-year-old daughter, who had apparently made her way quietly downstairs. I guess in her attempt not to interrupt my reading, she had crawled on the floor so that she was now right in front of me, eyes peering over my book.

My first internal response to seeing her was not, Oh, how cute! I’ll be honest. I felt agitated, and my interior monologue was going something like this: How dare she interrupt me! Doesn’t she know I’m reading a spiritual book, trying to grow my relationship with God?
Thankfully, none of these words came out of my mouth. Instead, we just starred at each other for a few minutes in quiet, those big brown eyes of love just peering into my eyes. She finally said, “Mom, do you want to play with me?”

I thought to myself, No, I just want to read this book about God and about finding God in all things. Again, thankfully, I didn’t speak any words out loud.

Internally, I was trying to calm myself down from being interrupted from doing the reading that would help me find God in all things and people. As I did, I continued to peer into my daughter’s eyes. Then, clear as day these words came into my mind: Becky, don’t you see me?
I’m right here.

Tears welled in my eyes. I suddenly saw Christ peering right at me in the shape of a blonde-haired, brown-eyed six-year-old inviting me to play.

I closed my book, set it aside, and invited my daughter up onto my lap. As I embraced her, I knew I was embracing not only her, but Christ as well. Is there anything more extraordinary than that?”

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.

Memorial Day-Why We Fight

Stephen Ambrose, in his book the “Band of Brothers,” shared a story about Easy Company in which the soldiers reflected on all that had happened, all that they experienced, all that they witnessed, all that they sacrificed, all that they had lost and understandably asked themselves “what was the point? Why?” 

They arrived at a concentration camp and saw first hand the horrors for themselves, the diabolical conditions the prisoners have been subjected to. They saw prisoners near death next to corpses – people malnourished and starving. The men in their shock and horror raced to get food and supplies only to be stopped by one of the medics who told them they can’t just do that… they can’t just give them food and water and free them. That they needed to be careful and cautious and slowly work to help these poor souls if there was any chance for them to physically recover – so, at that moment, they had to keep the prisoners inside the barbed wire fence until they could make sure they could get the care they needed. It was heart-wrenching on every level. These soldiers finally had their answer, why they fight – but it was hell getting to this moment, and in that moment, it still was a living hell.

The author wrote about the incredible contradictions that these soldiers experienced: They found combat to be ugliness, destruction, and death, and hated it. Anything was better than the blood and carnage, the grime and filth, the impossible demands made on the body—anything, that is, except letting down their buddies. They also found in combat the closest brotherhood they ever knew. They found selflessness. They found they could love the other guy in their foxhole more than themselves. “They found that in war, men who loved life would give their lives for them.”

Now during this pandemic, our faith in God is being tested.  Sadly, many families had to say goodbye to a family member, or worse, a child to this dreaded virus. The pain of letting go, through a window and not being allowed to hold the hand of our dying loved one is living hell.

This Memorial Day will always be remembered, not only as a time we honor our heroes on the battlefield, but also our heroes in our hospitals who are fighting an enemy we cannot see, an enemy that threatens people of all ages, all nationalities, all countries throughout our world.

Our faith gives us hope and courage that all or beloved have ascended into heaven.

It will take a long time before the coldness of death is turned into warmth. Jesus taught: “It is better for you that I go away!” These are painful words most of the time, from brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom to worship, to those in the Covid-19 isolation wards of hospitals at this very moment, a loved one or comrade saying goodbye in death. Separation hurts, goodbyes bring painful tears, and death of every kind wrenches our heart.

But that is part of the mystery of love. The mystery of the Ascension. Eventually we all reach a point where what is best for everyone is that we go away so that we can give our spirit. The gift of our lives can only be fully received after we ascend. What will you remember?

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Frineds who remember the sacrifice of our soldiers who gave their all, the dedication of our medical teams who continue to give their all daily to save lives. May their spirit of faith, courage, generosity and compassion be our inspiration to make God’s love contagious so that no one dies in vain and our prayers of gratitude bring healing to our world.

Biscuits

A while back I read a story of a visiting pastor who attended a men's breakfast in the middle of a rural farming area of the country. The group had asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.

  

"Lord, I hate buttermilk", the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going. The farmer loudly proclaimed, "Lord, I hate lard." Now the pastor was growing concerned.

Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, "And Lord, you know I don't much care for raw white flour". The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn't the only one to feel uncomfortable.

Then the farmer added, "But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So Lord, when things come up that we don't like, when life gets hard, when we don't understand what you're saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen."

Within that prayer there is great wisdom for all when it comes to complicated situations like we are experiencing in the world today. 

Stay strong, my friends, because our LORD is mixing several things that we don't really care for, but something even better is going to come when HE is done with it. 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are nursing those sick with the coronavirus. Protect them and keep them safe from the virus and may their compassion bring healing to those in their care.

Due to Technical Difficulties

“Due to technical difficulties, we are unable to bring you this program.” My sincere apologies, but prior to today’s Sunday’s Mass, we just could not get our computer to link up with ZOOM. Folks would click the link and get a message that said, “meeting in progress” or worse, call on your phone and the voice said, “the meeting had not started.”

My reflection was about the Gospel in which Jesus refers to himself as “the Good Shepherd” and the “gate for the sheep.” Images that need a bit of explanation.

Sheep have a connection with the shepherd unlike that of other farmers with their animals. The Shepherd knows every one of his sheep. For example, at Holy Family, Joy and Dan sit with their children to my left, behind them are Mary and Roy, then Mary on the aisle with Tina, Tori and Donna behind her. Further down the side aisle are Karen and Bob holding grandson Jamison, then Harry, and Tom and Donna. And holding up the back pew are Denny and Gus. Yes, this shepherd knows where you sit in church and even knows when one of you is missing. 

During Jesus’ time, there would be three or four shepherds who’d put all of their sheep together in a pen while one of the shepherds would watch though the night protecting them from thieves, or wild animals; and in the morning, the shepherds would call, and the flocks would split and follow their respective shepherd. They knew which voice to follow in order to find direction in life. They recognized the voice of their shepherd.

Jesus tells us that if we listen to His voice and follow Him, He will lead us to an abundant life. That we will be saved. That death will have no power over us.

Sounds like good news, but for the early disciples it wasn’t enough, disciples are leaving town, or like Thomas, thinking it can’t be true; or like Mary Magdalene, unable to recognize Jesus Christ standing right in front of her, and dare say we are in the same boat wondering in this moment of history when we are going to be able to come back into church to pray and share fellowship.

What will lift us out of those thoughts of despair is by hearing Jesus voice and remembering who we are.

Where do we hear the voice of Jesus? First: you will find His voice in the people who are caring for our sick and dying people in our hospitals, the doctors, nurses and first responders giving comfort and hope and healing. Second: you know it in the voices of volunteers who bring food to our school children or caregivers at Charlotte Home. Third: you may know it in the voice of a family member or friend inviting you to a ZOOM gathering to connect or simply pray together.  Fourth: in the voice of mom and dad praying at the bedside of their children that God will protect grandpa and grandma from getting sick.

Lord, I pray for all my  Sonshine Friends, the parishioners at Holy Family, their relatives, neighbors and friends around the country that despite my failure to connect they can hear Your voice. We have a sign outside the front of our church today that says it all: “CAN’T SLEEP, DON’T COUNT SHEEP. TALK TO THE SHEPHERD.”

One quick story, last Sunday, I was sitting in the sanctuary and it is 10 minutes before Mass and I heard the side door of the church open. I shout ‘Whose there and got no response.” Again, I hear shuffling in the hallway and the next moment Mary peaks around the corner of the door. I say to Mary, “you’re not supposed to be here, I don’t want you to get sick.” She says that she wanted to leave me something and places an envelope on the chair next to me. She then says she going back home to watch Mass on her computer. I send her off with a blessing. However, curiosity got the best of me and I took the envelop into the sacristy and opened it up with a note that said, “I can barely see anymore but I hope you and Sue can use this to keep safe.” When I opened the tissue, I found a homemade mask to keep us safe. I’m thinking about Mary’s voice right now, disappointed that I couldn’t stream the Mass to you this morning. Jesus is saying “Fr. Matt, no big deal, you ‘re going to be alright and so is everyone else who believes in Me.” 

Thank you, Mary, you are the voice of Jesus telling all of us to be safe and so I want all of you at Holy Family, your family, neighbors to continue to wear your masks with a smile and may God bless you Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Blaming God or Finding God

Not surprisingly, recently there have been articles speculating that this viral pandemic we’re experiencing is God’s wrath, His anger, His punishment for – and fill in the blank – everything from not being the devout and faithful people we should be to not being good stewards of the Earth.

God does not unleash plagues as punishments on people.

As Christians though, we’re not to dwell on that. Instead we’re to redirect our thoughts on what Jesus reminds us: “The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”(John 3:7).

When each of us takes steps to confront evil in a charitable but just way… when we find ways to offer forgiveness and begin the hard work of reconciliation…. when we look for opportunities to be selfless and loving and reaching out to help someone in need – that is the gentle breeze of the Spirit working in and through each and every one of us who claims to have been “born from above.”

So for those looking for where is God in the midst of this crisis – look at the health care workers putting their care for the sick above their own well-being; look at the people who are creatively finding ways to reach out and to connect with people feeling isolated, alone and depressed; look at our volunteers helping the residents at Charlotte House-- look at the littlest of gestures – the kindness and genuine care offered by a neighbor to attend to someone else’s needs. It’s far too easy to blame God for the evil we’re experiencing and missing the reality of His grace, His blessing, His very spirit being at work through countless and oftentimes unknown, invisible folks.   Kind of as invisible as, say the wind – that is blowing and driving about bringing healing, compassion and new life in the midst of this storm.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are connecting through Facebook, Skyp or cell phone to make sure their neighbors are safe and sound with plenty of toilet paper, face masks, medications and food on their tables. As our church sign says outside the front door of our church “Put a Smile on Your Mask It Will Brighten Your Day.”

Feeling Separated from God

As a Chaplain you visit many different people from various walks in life. The one thing they have in common is that they are all facing a difficult time in life. It might be an upcoming operation, or rehabilitation or for some it is their final steps in life as they face a terminal diagnosis. On one of these visits there lies a young woman, about 35 years of age, when she sees me, she becomes tearful. When I ask her what is behind the tears, she confides that seeing me, she is reminded of all the bad decisions she has made in life, and that she will never be able to enter heaven because of those bad decisions. She feels separated from God and unworthy to reach out to Him.

As we continued our conversation, I ask her if there was a time she remembers when she felt close to God. She goes on with a smile explaining a time in a church yard she was swinging with her sister and singing songs to Jesus, and how amazingly safe and joyous it felt. 

Is there a time we can remember when we were or are especially close to God? Is there an emptiness in our hearts because we find ourselves separated from God because our lives have not lived up to what we think God expects?

As I explained to the young woman, Jesus came expressly to close that separation, to reach out from the cross, to welcome us to see the empty tomb, and to cure our unbelief as Jesus did to (doubting) Thomas when he showed his nail scared hands and wounded side. Jesus loves us, and gives us forgiveness for our confessed sins, and welcomes us into the safety of his arms and blessed assurance of an eternal home with Him in heaven.

During this difficult Easter time, when the news of the day brings in loneliness and fear, go back to that time when you felt closeness to God, allow Him to enter back into your heart, take His hand and fear no evil only His love. Accept the joy of Easter morning, for He has risen he has risen indeed.

Father in heaven, help all of us to look to you for strength and assurance of your love for each of us. Grant all those that support our communities, the medical staffs, first responders, police and spiritual comforters your protection from illness and harm. Remove any doubts we have in your sacrifice for us on the cross and your rising again. Bring us peace and strength during these difficult times. We pray in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It Started in the Dark

For a great number of my friends this Easter morning, this coronavirus seems to have been far more successful than the Grinch could ever have imagined in his most diabolical of schemes. The Easter Bunny had to file for unemployment this year. The Easter egg hunt that would have kids decked out in their new Easter outfits has been cancelled.  Family dinners have been sidelined with, at best, arranging a Zoom or Facetime gathering.

All of those things pale in comparison to the tremendous suffering of people who are ill; people who are exhausted as they try to care for those who are sick, or are pressed into extreme overtime as an “essential service” provider; people who have died; people who are grieving their losses and cannot even gather to mourn; people who are losing their jobs; people who are depressed, and anxious and filled with fear. It’s hard for us to say ‘Happy Easter’ with the true joy we normally do on this day.

Easter happened while it was still dark. If you had been in church this Easter morning, you would have heard me read John’s version of the gospel where Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John all encounter the empty tomb. They see the stone rolled back, they see the burial cloths rolled up – but there’s no earthquakes, no angels, and not even the Risen Jesus. Mary Magdalene saw the stone removed. Peter and John race to the tomb at her news. John tells us that he saw and believed. But then quickly adds they did not yet understand.

Easter happened while it was still dark . . . the first of Jesus’ followers were grieving in sadness, reeling from the betrayals and failures on their parts, overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. And encountering this empty tomb has completely disoriented them. Sound a lot like we are experiencing these past weeks

While it was still dark – the world completely changed.

While it was still dark – the promises that Jesus made were fulfilled

While it was still dark – while it still looked as if death had the last word, God’s word, His love, His life destroyed death.

There’s no shortage of people who feel they are in a dark time and a dark place. Yet, Easter still comes . . . Despite the locked churches and cancelled celebrations. Despite the social distance, the isolation that we’re experiencing in unprecedented ways . . . do we welcome, do we sense, do we believe in Easter?

For us today, the challenge is far greater than to just turn away from the fear of this virus. It’s more challenging because the importance of this day, Easter, for if Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead, we wouldn’t care about Him or remember, let alone celebrate, His birth.   But because He has risen from the dead, that good news, that great news has to move us. For Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John, Easter started in the dark, but it didn’t remain there – and neither did they. They returned to share that good news with their fellow disciples . . . and as they did, they encountered, they experienced the Risen Christ for themselves. We need to believe it and share it.  We have to allow Christ’s victory over all the forces of death and Covid-19 to work in us, here and now. 

Take a look at the smiling faces of our children from last Easter. This is the challenge to share with our kids and grand-kids to see our faith and hear our prayers that we believe in the Risen Christ. Let your children experience the Risen Christ in your home. Blessed Easter!

No Greater Love

A story was told some years ago that after a forest fire at a National Park, some park rangers made their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage. As they walked, a ranger came upon what initially was a sickening sight – a bird that was literally petrified in ashes, perched on the ground at the base of a tree.

Kind of put off by the sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. As he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings. The loving mother bird, keenly aware of impending disaster had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety, but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings would live.

Being loved this much should make a difference in our lives. Hearing the Passion of Jesus Christ proclaimed on Good Friday by Maddie in a quiet church isn’t about hearing a story that’s long and familiar. The station that really made a difference was when His Blessed Mother held him when He was taken down from the cross. At that moment I  remembered what’s really important – remembering what perfect Love is; remembering that Love is more than just saying I love you but the actions behind those words. It’s about remembering how Jesus loves each and every one of us, and being different, being changed because of it. Know that this shepherd loves all of his children, their parents, grandparents, your neighbors and friends.

I know that this love takes place in our community when you have gone shopping for groceries for a neighbor, or when you called a long-distance family member to make sure they are safe, or when you skyped your grandchildren and wished them a Happy Easter, or when you felt sick and are self-isolating to make sure you won’t contaminate anyone in the community, or when you pray for the sick and dying in New York City. 

In the past 72 hours, I have had the privilege of serving as a first responder to people in New York City listening to their courageous stories of compassion for one another. May we all continue to be resilient, may our faith give us strength to persevere through this storm. As you drive by your church on Easter Sunday know that my Mass and prayers will be offered for your continured safety and good health.

Jesus is Risen. Indeed, He is Risen!

Loneliness

In the early hours of today, Friday, Good Friday, Jesus is praying in the garden, and the disciples have fallen asleep. At this moment, and really from this moment on, Jesus is astoundingly alone That aloneness, that loneliness can be very, very heavy. And as we look around us in the world today, there seems to be increasing technology. There's ever-increasing ways to communicate with people, and yet, there also seems to be increasing loneliness. I think one of the things we're called to do as Christians in the modern world is to look at this problem of loneliness, to see it as a very real poverty, and to ask ourselves how are we being called to address this very real poverty of loneliness, because most of us do not have to go very far geographically or in our family, in circles, and friends, to find that loneliness manifesting in very real and vivid ways. It's this loneliness, this aloneness, that can be so stifling to the human spirit. And it's this loneliness, this stifling aloneness, that Jesus was experiencing in the garden and, of course, experiences now as he goes on to carry the cross, as he goes on to be on the cross alone. 

And the aloneness theme then continues. The disciples—they scatter, and they must've felt alone and afraid. The fear feeds on the aloneness. It was only when they came back together in community that they found their courage, that they found their strength, that they reconnected and realigned with the mission that God had given to them. 

And so I think it's important for us to ask ourselves how are we being called to respond to the loneliness in our world today. How can we be the answer to somebody's prayer? Somebody somewhere, not too far from you, is praying that someone will come and relieve their loneliness, just as Jesus came to his disciples and said: hey guys, can you not just be with me for now or pray with me for now? 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that the reach out to one another and check to make sure their neighbor, their friends and family are safe and well. Your prayer on this Good Friday is a phone call to someone who needs your kind and reassuring voice. Ask them to go online and listen to Maddie’s Stations of the Cross.  https://Holyfamilyncchurch.org/