From a letter of St. Paul to the Church at Thessalonica:
But as touching the charity of brotherhood, we have no need to write to you: for yourselves have learned of God to love one another.
For indeed you do it towards all the brethren in Macedonia. But we entreat you, brethren, that you abound more:
And that you use your endeavor to be quiet, and that you do your own business, and work with your own hands, as we commanded you: and that you walk honestly towards them that are without; and that you want nothing of any man's.
And we will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again; even so them who have slept through Jesus, will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you in the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevail them who have slept.
For the Lord himself shall come down from heaven with commandment, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead who are in Christ, shall rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them into the clouds to meet Christ, into the air, and so shall we be always with the Lord.
Wherefore, comfort ye one another with these words.
~~ 1 Thessalonians 4: 9-17, DRV
Yesterday I wrote about being brave. And moving on from the coronavirus. I realize today that I've faced much worse than this "new normal" of the pandemic. I've experienced sheer terror, and I've suffered tremendous grief. Think about what you have already survived in this life, and remember Who is the fountain of your strength.
The media, scientists, and our government leaders have focused so much attention on this one disease that you would think there is nothing else out there. Every serious illness and health condition imaginable is only worsened by stress, and in fact very often has stress as its underlying culprit. Yet we are being encouraged to live in a constant state of panic as a way of staying healthy. This is not sane behavior.
What if you were to choose, just for today, to silence the cacophany? Go to the Lord in the silence of your heart. Go to Him until you can hear no other voice. Then listen. What is your vocation? What is He asking you to do? It may be as simple as hugging your spouse and children, preparing a meal, throwing a load of laundry in the wash. Walk the dogs. Write a poem. Reach out to someone who is sick, depressed, or lonely. Be of service.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." There is no other Way. There is no other Truth. There is no other Life. Our dignity and freedom as human beings come directly from Him, the one, true God in whose image and likeness we are gloriously made. We are free only because Our Lord overcame sin and death. If we don't know this, we know nothing.
We obey our leaders to the extent that they know and believe this Truth. We claim our freedom from Christ crucified and resurrected, not from the government. The USA was founded upon these self-evident truths. Our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness flow directly from our divine origins and the grace of God. This is why some, those who wish fervently for a socialist and communist regime, reject both our Constitution and Our Lord. They know that to uphold the one is to uphold the other. Freedom is tied directly to Faith.
Go in silence to pray. Pray without ceasing. When the boat rocks and the seas rage, look full in His wonderful face. That is all.
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Perhaps you are wondering, how can we move on from the coronavirus when it's still here? Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has emphasized that though the state's economy will begin to open back up this Friday, May 1, the danger of contracting the Wuhan virus is no less great. We must continue to use good, common sense, practice social distancing, and wear face masks. (One caveat to that, though. If you wear eyeglasses, they will fog up when wearing a face mask. I am personally not going around blind.)
As a person who has pre-existing health conditions that put me at higher risk, and for the good of others, I'm certainly not going to throw caution to the wind. At the same time, I want my life back, and a return to some semblance of normalcy is imperative to the health and well-being of all concerned.
Everywhere around the USA, we've seen examples of purely arbitrary and often tyrannical mandates from government officials; responses from law enforcement personnel that are abusive and unnecessary in the extreme; purely subjective declarations of what are "essential" businesses, products, and activities, and which are not; and a host of violations of constitutional rights. The cure shouldn't be worse than the disease, and it ought not result in suffering and death that is out of proportion to the threat of the virus. But that's exactly where we are at.
Most of us were willing, at first, to obey shelter-at-home mandates and to take COVID-19 seriously, and I believe it's still incumbent upon us to make the best decisions we can with the information we have, and to proceed with due caution. Yet I think it's time for each person, each family, and each business and institution to make their own decisions, to seize back our rights and liberty, even at the expense of legal or personal retribution.
As far as I'm concerned, no one has the right to tell you, for example, how many people you can have visiting in your own home, or how long you are allowed to be out-of-doors; or to be able to arrest you for taking your kids to the park, or for having church services or any other gatherings, as long as common sense precautions are taken. The draconian times must end. One step I'm personally going to take is to write the bishop of my diocese and implore him to reinstate public Masses and the reception of the sacraments.
People feel powerless right now, and fearful, and we are being taken advantage of by those who would wish to reshape the country as a socialist regime, and one which is specifically hostile to those of the Christian Faith. It's really NOT about your health.
In any situation, the place where we do have power is over ourselves. We can choose to not live in fear. We can choose to be brave. We can choose freedom. We can keep up high standards for hygiene and cleanliness, which we all should have had in the first place. We can decide what to let into our lives--what we read and listen to. If we have access to safe drinking water and healthy foods (which some do not, as a direct result of the poverty induced by the government shutdowns); if we go outside, mandates be damned, and get sunshine, fresh air, and exercise; if we begin to think for ourselves and act accordingly--then we will have made a good start to taking our lives back. This country was founded on a rebellion against tyrrany. Where there is injustice, by God, rebel! The virus may be here for a long time to come, but I, for one, am moving on.
These next couple of weeks are going to be crucial for the U.S. COVID-19 will peak, and it will be incumbent upon us to make no trips to indoor public places, to carefully shelter in our homes. Hopefully you have stocked up on groceries, toilet paper, medications, and any other necessities. I don't think it's a coincidence that this peak in the coronavirus is occurring during Holy Week. The significance of the timing might vary from person to person, but I think that it should be taken as a signal for our country to turn back to God.
Yesterday, Palm Sunday, my family watched the first hour of the Mass given by Pope Francis on YouTube, on our Smart TV. This was the portion through the homily. I finished watching the Mass by myself. Today, before beginning homeschooling, my daughter and I read the daily Mass Scripture readings from the USCCB website: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040620.cfm. You can also view Masses this week with Bishop Robert Barron on YouTube, at his "Word on Fire" program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSGOpSFAsKU.
I encourage all Catholics to seek out the sources available for participation in Holy Week, and to pray family Rosaries. You could pray a sorrowful mystery each day from today through Good Friday, which will culminate with the Crucifixion of Our Lord. I also encourage all the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, including those who do not normally observe Holy Week, as well as people of other religious traditions, to make this a time of increased and fruitful spiritual practice.
Today I began a novena (a period of 9 days of prayer) to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, using A Book of Marian Prayers by Loyola Press. There are many online links to this novena in its various forms. Here is one, with the subsequent prayers for each day at the very bottom: http://www.god-answers-prayers.com/mother_mary_prayers/perpetual_help_9days2_novena_prayer/index.html. Calling on Our Lady's intercession at this difficult time will keep us safely under her mantle of protection, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
May you have a blessed Holy Week, mining the treasures of the Christian Faith, and offer up your sufferings in union with Christ on the Cross. Godspeed, Rita Michele
4Most of all, friends, always rejoice in the Lord! I never tire of saying it: Rejoice! 5Keep your gentle nature so that all people will know what it looks like to walk in His footsteps. The Lord is ever present with us. 6Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come. 7And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. 8Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy. 9Keep to the script: whatever you learned and received and heard and saw in me— do it— and the God of peace will walk with you.
Philippians 4: 4-9 (The Voice Bible)
Today I was searching for Bible verses about beauty. I discovered The Voice, a dynamic equivalence Bible translation that included poets, artists, and musicians, in addition to the usual Bible scholars, as part of its development team. I think the notes are great, and the language is lovely. The drawback is that it isn't a Catholic Bible, so it's missing 7 Old Testament books. However, it's presented in the context of traditional (viz. liturgical) Christianity. I've found nothing objectionable in it so far. I had intended to view a sample but accidentally bought the ebook on my Kindle, so I've been exploring several passages.
I thought the passage quoted above to be particularly encouraging in the context of our COVID-19 distress. I'm setting an intention to seek Beauty and to avoid all those things which are the opposite of what Sacred Scripture is telling us to focus our minds and meditate upon in these verses. I implore you to do the same.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in his wonderful face. And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.
