It has been 35 days, March 14th since we have been together worshipping God at Mass. At times, these past 35 days seemed like an eternity. Our way of life has changed, the way we see the world, or relate to people, the way we attend school, live our family life. In spite of the sadness and uncertainty, we can see good things happening already because of Covid-19. I’ve never seen so many people walking around the neighborhood, didn’t realize how many dogs there are, and definitely never thought there were so many kids with bikes! And not to mention the generous and sacrificial love of so many people dedicated to preserving life.
Of course, no one knows when this will end, or how it will end, we have to wait, and we have to keep on praying, we can’t grow weary, or lose hope or become grumpy! These are not to be looked on as “bad days”, rather days that we can grow, these are great days. We need to thank God that we have been given an opportunity to live during these memorable days. As I mentioned to a groom who had to change the date of his wedding, these are the days you can tell your grandchildren about. How you lived through the great days of 2020 and how those days changed the course of the world, and we all played a part in it. How we sacrificed for others, looked after our neighbors, and deepened our prayer with God. How we missed going to Mass and receiving the Sacraments, how our families became more connected. How love and human goodness won, once again, in the history of mankind.
God knows the future, now. He knows of the challenges of these days and the suffering and trials. God has a great purpose, a reason for this time in the Church and the world. Like so many other times in life, as we live through it we don’t understand, but it is a privilege and a grace to live at this time. God is preparing us, making us ready for things we can never anticipate. Just trust in our loving Father and wait and see the good that is about to happen to us all. Hang in there, and keep praying as a family.
Remember our Church is opened every day from 8:00 AM-7:00 PM. Confessions are heard every Saturday at 11:00 AM until 11:45 AM. Even though you can’t attend, Mass is being offered every day in Church. Today, the Second Sunday of Easter is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope St. John Paul II, since May 23, 2000, declared this Sunday as "Divine Mercy Sunday."
Today at 3:00 PM, via live stream, we will have a Holy Hour of Mercy, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. We will pray the Divine Mercy chaplet and Novena. All are encouraged to view the live stream by visiting our website, which will take you to our Facebook page.
This devotion is based on the 1930 writings of Sister St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, canonized in 2000.
The point of the devotion is mercy -- begging God’s mercy, trusting in His mercy, and showing mercy to those around us. In 2000, Pope St. John Paul II made it known that this Sunday, a day when the Gospel readings concern Christ's merciful institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, will also be known as "Divine Mercy Sunday."
This year, you are encouraged to pray in a special way for the dying who are alone without the benefit of a priest or family. But we know, we are never alone, our Guardian Angel is always with us as well as our saints, our Blessed Mother, our God.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady, Health of the Sick, St. Joseph, Protector of the Church, St. Margaret of Antioch, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen