Holy Week Reflections

During Holy Week we will pray with Pope Francis and then, six stations of the cross through the eyes of the Blessed Mother, and on Easter Sunday we will celebrate the Risen Lord!  Excerpts used in these stations come from Richard Furey’s “Praying the Stations with Mary the Mother of Jesus.”

We adore You, O Christ, and praise You because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.

Let us gaze through the eyes and heart of the Blessed Mother.  May our soul be open to God’s graces.

This year Lent has been very unusual, to say the least, as we dealt with the COVID 19 pandemic, I pray that the lessons of faith, hope, trust, family time, prayer time and renewed focus on the common good remain our priorities after the crisis passes, because our nation and our world will be better if that occurs.

May the Risen Lord, the Lord of all life, be the lamp for our feet and the light for our path.  [based on psalm 119]

This Lent we experienced our own way of the cross with either additions to our burdens or new burdens to carry.

Our spiritual journey reminds us subtly or obviously that our time on earth is temporary, and this crisis will pass. 

THE ONLY QUESTION IS WHAT LESSON(S) WE LEARNED FROM IT AND WILL WE BE BETTER DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST AS A RESULT OF IT.

I pray that the Pandemic of COVID 19 ends soon and that our Easter Season will be filled with Hope and Joy.

Jesus healer hear our plea and answer our prayer.

Last Friday Pope Francis led us in prayer, he proclaimed from St. Mark’s Gospel “When evening had come” (Mark 4:35), darkness seems to have enveloped our nation and our world.  The Pope said, “For weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by; we feel it in the air, we notice in people’s gestures, their glances give them away…. 

On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.” 

 

What can we do to help in the Pandemic?   
Let me offer a few suggestions:

1.   Focus our prayer life on TRUSTING that God WILL guide us through this COVID 19 crisis.

2.   When we wash our hands with soap and water for 20 seconds make the hand washing a prayer offered for the medical people and first responders who are in harm’s way.

3.   Take some time, many of us have a lot of time, to thank God for what we have to fight this Pandemic and ask the Lord to help our leaders get materials to the places that need them the most.

4.   Ask God to send His Holy Spirit of Wisdom and Courage upon President Trump, our Governors, Mayors and all government officials leading our response to this crisis.

5.   Give thanks for our families and friends and beg the Lord to be with them in a special way during this time, in particular, our loved ones that we cannot hug and squeeze, except virtually.

6.   Try to structure our daily activities knowing that one day soon this will end, but our need to learn from it will never end.

7.   Finally remember Jesus told His apostles and He tells us He is with us, never doubt that but after all believing Jesus is a matter of faith, and COVID 19 is challenging our Faith.

 “a time to choose what matters in life and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others.”

We are in the boat together, and remember Christ is in the boat with us.

May God Be Praised!