Dear People of God,
We are in unprecedented times, as your pastor, I never imaged that we would be suspending Masses. As I mentioned last weekend we need to learn from the coronavirus pandemic. It might not be that straight forward at times, but in time we will see the life lesson that will come out of this. In the spiritual perspective this moment of not having Masses will teach us to long for the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the true presence of the Risen Lord. What we can learn is nothing new it’s what we have always believed that may have forgotten about “life, death, and resurrection” of Jesus. As Christians we are called to connect ourselves to the Life of Jesus. This just might be the moment. The Mass was that reality every time we gathered. Now it’s a time to see this truth in a new way. This longing to be connected is a grace in itself, and if we offer up this desire in prayer to God, it can become a time of even greater grace and spiritual growth. Here is a spiritual communion prayer that can be offered. It’s written by Archbishop Marchetto.
“My Jesus, I believe that you’re present in the Holy Sacrament. I love You above all else, and I desire You in my soul. As long as I can’t receive You sacramentally, at least enter spiritually into my soul.”
(brief pause to unite oneself with Jesus)
“Since you’ve come, I embrace you and unite my entire self with You; don’t let me ever separate myself from You.”
Let’s not allow fear to take us over but let’s show fear that this moment can draw us closer to each other and to Jesus.
We please ask for your prayer and patience, as your parish we will try to keep as much of a normal schedule as possible. This means that parishes need a minimal of $4,000 a week to keep operating with our outreach ministers and to have the spaces cleaned for prayer and reflection. If you would like please drop your offerings off at the parish offices or you can donate online at https://popejohnchurch.org/donate-now/
By the grace of God we will get through this. And just as in the resurrection of Jesus, when we come out of this we will be stronger.
Fr. Zach
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