Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
All of our schedules have been impacted by COVID-19. Our 2nd Graders were supposed to make their First Communion this weekend but we have to reschedule. Deacon Arthur’s ordination to the priesthood has been put on hold. Weddings have been postponed. Graduations and other end-of-school-year celebrations have been canceled or delayed. The same is true for all of us, I imagine. We’ve all had plans that have to be altered.
Changing our plans can be enormously frustrating even under the best of circumstances. But not knowing when we can safely reschedule our events is even more disconcerting. It can especially be confusing why this is happening when these celebrations have a religious or spiritual dimension to them.
The good news is that God can use this time to continue to prepare us for the joys that await us. God knows how to take advantage of long delays - just ask Abraham, Joseph and Moses. They all had to wait many years for God’s promises to be fulfilled. But God was at work in their waiting. He was changing their hearts, strengthening their character, and preparing them for the mission he had in store for them.
As people of faith, we know that God is with us during this time of waiting too. Let us turn to the Lord in faith and trust and ask him to help us prepare for the celebrations to come; to show us what changes we need to make in order to embrace the mission or the next chapter in our lives that God is calling us to. With God’s grace, this time of waiting doesn’t have to be frustrating or pointless. It can actually be the most fruitful time in our lives, if we let it.
God Bless,
