Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
May the Lord give you His peace! I continue to pray that everyone is healthy and keeping calm during these trying times. It was so good to see so many of you this Palm Sunday. It brought great joy to my heart.
Soon, we shall be together again. As soon as this coronavirus lifts, we are going to have to have a special Mass of Thanksgiving followed by a Welcome Home Party. One thing I have learned about Saint James Parish during this time of crisis is that Saint James parish is truly a family and our Parish Church is truly home to all of you. It’s very empty without you!
The other day I was talking to my mother and she made a great point. She said that this will be the first time in history where we all get to experience the day of the resurrection in the same way that the apostles did; afraid and locked up at home. At first, I laughed and then I realized how true it is.
After the Lord was arrested in the Garden of Olives the apostles all fled and hid behind the locked doors of the upper room. They experienced the arrest, rejection, crucifixion of Jesus. They experienced the betrayal and subsequent suicide of Judas, one of their own. Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times and they all, except the teenager John, abandoned Jesus. They were figuring that they were next to be arrested and put to death. Scripture says that the doors were locked for fear.
On Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene and the other women saw the Lord and were sent to tell the apostles that He had risen. They didn’t believe them. Their fear was turning to doubt, and that doubt was turning toward despair. Even when John and Peter ran to the tomb and found it empty, they still didn’t believe. Two of the seventy-two disciples even walked with our Lord as far as Emmaus and , because of their despair and doubt, they weren’t even able to recognize Him. They chatted about all that had happened to Jesus and how they hoped that he would be the one to redeem Israel. It wasn’t until He “broke bread” that they recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.
Fear is such a powerful motivator. It can become a prison for us. It was fear that made the apostles imprison themselves in the upper room. It was fear that made them doubt that the Lord had power over death, and it was fear that was making that doubt turn to despair as they started to think that the love of Christ could not overcome the power of death and sin. Boy, were they wrong!
I know these are scary times and many of you feel a great sense of fear. I share with you the immortal words of Jesus Christ; Do not be afraid! Yes, we need to be prudent, cautious and protective of our health and loved ones. However, we cannot allow this virus and its power to overcome our faith and trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can not give ourselves over to the fear that leads to doubt and despair. Fear has no room in our hearts. Saint John the Beloved wrote in the Scripture that; Perfect love casts out all fear.
What is this love that casts out fear? It is the incredible and amazing love that God has for us sinful and broken creatures. A love that does not abandon us, does not forget us and that is always awaiting us. It was love that drew Him to die on the cross for us. It was love that made Him want to die for love of us. It was love that allowed Him to endure the horrendous suffering of his scourging, crowning of thorns and crucifixion. It is His love that proclaims that we are worth dying for and casts out any fear in our hearts that the Lord could ever abandon us.
This coronavirus is just another of many that has attacked humanity over the millenniums of our existence. Not to worry, as Saint Teresa of Avila so often said about terrible times; This too shall pass. This virus will pass, and we will return to our lives, hopefully not as they were. Hopefully, we shall return to life with a new sense of the frailty of our lives and the need to make everyday count. We hope that when we arise from this virus, we will continue to care about the elderly, the homebound and the vulnerable. We hope that our hearts will be so changed that we will never again take our family or friends for granted. We hope that this time of exile from Church will give us all a new and renewed love for the grace and gift we have to attend Holy Mass every Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation. We hope and pray that we shall arise from this crisis with a whole new appreciation for the wonderful gift of life.
I hope that our experience of not being able to come to Mass and receive Holy Communion will give us all a new and renewed love for Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. I pray that this holy longing will intensify our love for Jesus, especially the loving desire to just spend time before Him in the Holy Tabernacle. When it is time to come home to Church, I truly hope and pray that EVERYONE comes home: Those who have been away from Church because of the virus, those who have been away and have been going to another parish and those who, for whatever reason, have stopped coming to Church before the virus. I want to say to all of you, as soon as this virus crisis is over: Come home! We miss you! Our Lord awaits you!
Speaking of missing Church, we don’t often look at this from God’s perspective. Many of you have shared with me how you miss coming to Church. Well, from the other side, you should know how much the Lord is missing you! Before the Lord celebrated the first Mass in the upper room with the apostles, we read in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus said: Long have I desired to eat this meal with you. Jesus longs for us, so much does He love us. He longs to have us together at Church, as His family, gathered together. He longs to give Himself to us in the Most Holy Eucharist. He longs to be received by us, to be one with us. He longs for us to experience His love and have that peace that only He can give. It was Jesus who said: Come to me all you who are wearied and find life burdensome and I will refresh you. So, as much as we miss coming to Holy Mass, God misses us so much the more. I hope that it will be soon that we will be able to fulfill His longing for us.
Tomorrow we remember how Jesus gave Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist, because He wants union with us. We will remember on Friday how He reconciled us to the Father through the incredible gift of His life, offering Himself as an eternal sacrifice that takes away the sins of the world. And, on Easter Sunday we will take the time to remember Jesus’ incredible power over death itself. All of it for us, for you! So much does He love us!
As you lock down at home because of this coronavirus, I hope and pray that each of you experience the powerful love of God flowing from His resurrection. It’s my prayer that you know and are convinced of His amazing love for you and I pray that His love will cast out from your heart any fear, doubt or despair. May His love bring you joy, peace and true and real abiding interior calm.
Have a Blessed Holy Thursday, a love filled Good Friday and a most joyous Easter Sunday!
May God bless you and may Mary keep you.
Fr David Mary
Remember, I will be hearing confessions on Good Friday from 12:00pm-1:00pm and 6:00pm-7:00pm. If you drive up the driveway, I will be seated at the back porch of the rectory and will hear your confession while you remain in your vehicle. Please wait at the end of the driveway if you see that someone is already at the porch.
