I miss you! I've been keeping all of you united in my prayers and daily Mass, offered for your intentions and especially for those who are sick and for health care workers. I miss you, I love you, and I'm looking forward to when we can be together again!
Source and Summit of the Christian Life The Eucharist is called the ‘Source and Summit of the Christian life.’ That means there’s a lot of life that’s supposed to happen in-between our celebrations of the Eucharist. The 'in-between' time is extended now. It's easy to focus on the lack, deprivation, and absence, but I propose we focus on living the Christian life even more fervently and intentionally and use our extended 'in-between' time well. The Christian life is a life of prayer, work, study, community, service, humility, sacrifice, charity, compassion, forgiveness, self-denial, and witness to the truth and love of Jesus. Let's do this even more!
Fill the Time with Life We can fill this 'in-between' time even more with prayer, study, service to our neighbors, charity, and community in your family. And let's remember we’re all making this sacrifice for the sake of those who are most vulnerable to this virus. The sacrifice to stay inside feels like a great deprivation – of our freedom and mobility. But we turn it into a positive thing by filling it with love, and offering it with Jesus on the cross, in union with the Masses that are being offered still every day by your priests. We’re remembering you in our Masses, uniting all your sacrifices to Jesus still, with you and for you.
Patience I came across an article yesterday about patience written by a religious sister in Ann Arbor. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, patience is “bearing present difficulties calmly.” So, we acknowledge there are difficulties. This is not the ideal situation for the Church. We acknowledge the difficulties are real, but patience is an act of the will, in which I don’t allow the difficulties to rob me of my peace and composure. In a patient person, the difficulties outside have no power to take away the peace and serenity within.
Finding Jesus in the Scriptures In this time, where do we go with our difficulties, confusion, and uncertainty? Many of the Church Fathers compared the Eucharist and the Scriptures. Both are Christ’s presence among us – Christ the Word of God, and Christ the Word made Flesh. A beautiful passage from one Church Father instructs us not to let one word of Scripture “fall to the ground,” just as we take care not to let one particle of the Eucharistic fall. Perhaps you can find time more easily now to read the Sacred Scriptures and let God speak to you through them. The Bible is God’s love letter to you personally. Visit our PRAYERS page for helpful resources.
Finding Jesus in Your Neighbor Many Church Fathers, Saints, and spiritual writers remind us the holiest thing after the Blessed Sacrament is the baptized Christian in the state of grace sitting next to you. Christ dwells in each of the baptized as a temple. So, when you’re unable to receive Jesus sacramentally, look for Him also in each of the members of your own family, and in your neighbors. He’s there in your child, your spouse, your parent, your sibling, waiting to encounter you. Here's a quote from C.S. Lewis in his essay entitled The Weight of Glory: "There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ, the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden."
Livestream Mass on Sunday Mass will be livestreamed on Sunday at 9:00am on our Facebook page. You do not need a Facebook account to view it. Also Bishop John will livestream Mass at 1:30pm on Sunday. Visit the PRAYERS page for links!