“May you live in interesting times” is purportedly a Chinese curse, which refers to periods in history that are filled with tumult and upheaval. We certainly are living in interesting times right now.
The decision to cancel the public celebration of the holy Mass in our diocese due to the coronavirus was not an easy one. It made me very sad, since the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. As Deacon Frank Agnoli puts it in a companion article, “To go without the Eucharist is hard, even painful. This is a gut-wrenching Lenten fast.”
I like to say that God can squeeze grace out of these kinds of situations, out of our interesting times. God can turn them on their head. That is the message of the Paschal Mystery, which we are preparing to commemorate at the end of Lent. God squeezed our salvation out of the suffering, death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus.
During this Eucharistic fast, I encourage the faithful of the diocese to consider the notion of “spiritual Communion” – a fervent desire to receive Jesus into one’s heart and soul when one can’t receive him in sacramental Communion – which is an ancient practice of the Church.
Recently, after praying the Angelus, Pope Francis said: “In this situation of pandemic, in which we find ourselves living more or less isolated, we are invited to rediscover and deepen the value of the Communion that unites all the members of the Church.”
CLICK TO READ MORE FROM BISHOP...