Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts

Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. 1 Peter 3:15

I’m writing this reflection during the Easter Octave. The church just celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus from the Tomb. Yet, it was an Easter that none of us have ever witnessed before due to the pandemic of COVID-19. We’ve experienced a lot of suffering and have seen and known loved ones who have gone as a result of this horrible disease.


During the last couple of months during Lent, and leading up to Easter, I often wondered where God was in all this suffering. It’s hard to feel the presence of God when we see so much pain and suffering.

Our Lord knows and feels our pain. During the Easter Triduum, we see our Lord betrayed by one of his closest friends, Judas. This was followed by a cruel death on the cross on Good Friday. But all throughout this suffering of our Lord (both emotional and physical), He always turned to the Father for comfort and strength. In the Garden of Gethsemane, we hear Jesus pray to the Father, “…if you are willing, take this cup from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) It was while I was meditating upon Jesus in Gethsemane that I felt our Lord’s presence during this pandemic. God the Father is with us, and always will be with us, in all our sufferings. But we need to be able to pray and offer our sufferings to God and, with Jesus, say, “Your will be done.”

Our Lord accepted the suffering and death on the cross, offering it up to the Father for our sins. Then on Easter Sunday morning, He gloriously rose from the dead.

It is hard for us to understand why God allowed all this suffering and death to occur to us. But I feel we are called to take this pain and suffering and offer it back to God to grant us healing, and to bring us to a closer relationship with Him.

In the first letter of Peter, chapter 3, verse 15, we read “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” During this time of healing and recovery, let us always remember that Jesus is always with us to give us strength and healing. And let us also pray for those who have lost their lives as a result of this scourge: May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

My Lord and My God

The Scripture readings for today can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/041920.cfm

On this Second of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy) we have for the gospel one of the resurrection stories of Jesus appearing to the apostles in the upper room, from the gospel of St. John, chapter 20. We learn the doors are locked due to the fact that they are afraid of the Jews. They just went through the traumatic experience of the betrayal and death of Jesus on the Cross. They thought that they would be next executed due to their being followers of Jesus Christ. They failed to remember the promise of Jesus that He would be raised on the third day from the dead. They just couldn't comprehend such a thing was possible.

Then on Easter Sunday evening, though the doors were locked, there appears to them Jesus!! He sees their fear, and the first words He says to them. “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19).  They just couldn't believe their eyes, and so Jesus says again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21).  He then shows them His hands and side, showing the scars of the crucifixion. What joy they must have felt at seeing our Lord risen from the dead. 

For some reason, the apostle Thomas wasn't with them for this first appearance of Jesus. I'm sure he was dealing with the fear and disappointment of the death of Jesus in his own way. He just wanted to get away and be alone. So, when the apostles told him that Jesus was indeed alive and risen from the dead he had a problem with accepting the realty of it. Thomas says, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks  and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." (John 20:25) I could only imagine the look on Thomas' face, and him thinking: "What are you guys? Crazy?"

But then Thomas finally sees Jesus, touches his hands and side, and comes to faith: "My Lord and God!" Then Jesus gave us all a gift when he responded: "Have you comet to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." (John 20:29)

Thanks to Thomas, Jesus has blessed us for our faith. Though we have never seen Jesus, we believe and, as a result, we are blessed. During this time of special need during this pandemic, let us turn to Christ, ask for healing and peace, and say, My Lord and my God. Let us pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the healing of all those who are positive with the coronavirus, and pray for the repose of the soul of those who have since passed away because of this virus.

HE IS NOT HERE. HE IS RISEN

Today we have a guest blogger, Arlene B. Muller. Arlene B. Muller, OSF, is a Professed Secular Franciscan, lector & Extraordinary Minister at St. Pancras Church, Member of St. Margaret's Choir, and Itinerant Speech/language Therapist.

"HE IS NOT HERE. HE IS RISEN."

(Matthew 28:1-10)

At Easter Vigil and in the Gospel for Easter Monday (April 13, 2020) we hear the greatest news in the history of the world in the message of the angel to the women who came to the tomb early on Easter morning: "DO NOT BE AFRAID! I KNOW THAT YOU ARE SEEKING JESUS THE CRUCIFIED. HE IS NOT HERE, FOR HE HAS BEEN RAISED, JUST AS HE SAID." JESUS, the One in Whom they--and now we--have put all our hope--is no longer dead! HE IS ALIVE! HE IS NO LONGER DEAD! All that He ever said is TRUE! He is truly the SON OF GOD, the SAVIOR & the promised MESSIAH, and He has won the victory over satan, sin and death!

The longer we live, the longer we can realize that GOD works in mysterious ways that are usually very different from our ways and often very different from what we would like, because He allows bad things to happen to good people. In my way of thinking love usually means doing everything possible to protect the ones I love from suffering, hurt and pain, even moving heaven and earth if I only could! From an earthly, human perspective it is hurtful and even incomprehensible to think of the FATHER allowing and even willing that His beloved SON endure all these terrible things: betrayal, abandonment, scourging & execution by crucifixion, which was the most horrible form of execution ever invented! But because JESUS endured the Cross and suffered for our sins and the sins of all humankind, He was raised from the dead and He ensured that all who are faithful in following Him are forgiven of our sins and have eternal life. On my perpetual calendar for April 12 there is a very fitting prayer that sums this up very well: "THANK YOU. LORD, FOR TAKING THE WORST THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED & FOR TURNING IT INTO THE WORLD'S GREATEST VICTORY AVAILABLE TO ALL WHO ACCEPT IT."

GOD allows some strange, awful things to happen in this world, but His purpose is always for good. We look at the coronavirus that has killed over 100,000 people worldwide and put us in a quarantine that prohibits us from celebrating public communal liturgies for the most important & holiest time of the year & wonder why GOD would allow this to happen! We don't know, but we know that GOD can take even the worst that could ever happen and use it for our good. We can trust the way He has worked in our lives & in the world in the past & we can trust the promises in His Word. In JEREMIAH 29:11 the LORD says that He knows the plans He has for us, plans for peace & not for disaster, to give us a future & a hope.

For the past several weeks of ongoing quarantine, once I realized that the miraculous DIVINE intervention for which I had hoped would happen in time to bring us back to Church in time for Holy Week was not going to happen, I had wished that Holy Week & Easter could have been postponed, since we are still living in a kind of extended LENT, EXILED from our churches & unable to celebrate with each other, to perform our ministries in a public communal liturgy, & to receive our RISEN LORD in the Eucharist! For me, Easter has meant celebrating in Church, getting dressed up in new clothes, prettily groomed (complete with a manicure & pedicure), serving in ministry & especially singing in the choir with other choir members all dressed up for Easter Vigil, the highlight of the Church's Liturgical year, joyfully singing our Easter ALLELUIAs with great joy & enthusiasm!  I felt as if it could not truly be Easter while we were exiled from church--that it could not be Easter until we could come back "home" to church to celebrate liturgy together. I felt somewhat like the disciples walking along that lonely road to Emmaus who had heard the good news of the Resurrection but were still living in confusion, bewilderment & discouragement.

But FINALLY on Easter morning, after participating in televised Holy Week services--Holy Thursday, Good Friday & Easter Vigil--I could absorb & understand the deeper meaning of Easter that can NEVER be obliterated, not even by coronavirus & quarantine. The RISEN LORD conquered satan, sin & death & in His time we will experience His victory over the coronavirus.

Because JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD we can say with St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:54, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY". When someone dies from a disease, whether it is my Mom, who died this past June after a 3 year bout with stage 4 cancer, or the people who have died from the coronavirus, we tend to see it from the earthly perspective and say that he/she lost the battle with the disease. But from a heavenly perspective, those who have died who have followed the LORD faithfully & endured until the end have NOT lost the battle--THEY HAVE WON THE VICTORY, they are now enjoying their reward in heaven, they will be raised up on the LAST DAY & we will see them again in a joyful reunion!

In the end Easter gives us a REASON TO HOPE.  The RISEN LORD is our LIVING HOPE in every circumstance & we can look to His Resurrection as PROOF that God can turn even the worst of our circumstances to good, sometimes even greater than we could ask or imagine, whether externally, internally, or both!

From the song by Bill & Gloria Gaither:

"BECAUSE HE LIVES, I CAN FACE TOMORROW. BECAUSE HE LIVES, ALL FEAR IS GONE. BECAUSE I KNOW HE HOLDS THE FUTURE. AND LIFE IS WORTH THE LIVING, JUST BECAUSE HE LIVES."

Holy Thursday

The scripture readings for this reflection can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/040920-lord-s-supper.cfm

On Holy Thursday we commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist by our Lord at the Last Supper. But in the gospel assigned for Holy Thursday, from the gospel of John, chapter 13, we see no mention of the institution of the Eucharist. Instead we see Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, including that of Judas, who the Lord knew would soon betray him. 

In the gospel, as the Lord approaches Peter, Peter responds in his usual stubbornness, questioning the actions of Jesus. Jesus says very little about the meaning of his act, other than that they are to do it to others, as well. The significance of the act itself tells his early followers and us all we need to know. In this act, our Lord is teaching us that we are to be servants to each other, in imitation of Him.

Jesus, in all humility, washes the feet of all the disciples, including Judas, reminding us that we are to serve also those who hurt and betray us. With Peter and his stubbornness, we learn that we can and should accept the help of others who feel called to help us in our need. 

We are called to live our lives as servants to one another, as Jesus was servant to those at the Last Supper. His servant heart, his sacrifice, and his love for us is revealed every time we receive His Body and Blood in Holy Communion. 

During this time of being away from Holy Communion as a result of the social distancing we are required to do in order to conquer the coronavirus, let us pray for healing of our society from this plague that is preventing us from receiving our Lord in Holy Communion, And then when we return to the regular reception of Holy Communion, let us be grateful to Our Lord for His presence in this Sacrament. Further, let us be grateful for the care and aid of our medical people caring for those suffering from the coronavirus. They, like Jesus, are unselfishly serving others. Let us remember them in our prayers over the next few days leading up to the death and resurrection of our Lord on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. 

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice

Scripture readings for the 5th Friday in Lent can be found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040320.cfm

Because of what's happening here in this country and around the world, we've been experiencing great fear and concern because of the coronavirus. For myself, I've asked God a question that I'm sure crossed many of our minds: "Dear God, WHEN WILL THIS END AND WE RECEIVE HEALING? I want to get back to living my life and am tired of living in fear!" I feel like shaking my fist towards heaven as I pray this to God. At times I wonder where God is in all of this.

Then something in scripture comes to me to give me comfort and helps me to realize that God is present, even in times like this. The psalm for today's mass contains a phrase that helped me put everything in perspective and helped me realize that even during this most difficult time, I need to turn to God for help and know that he's there: "In my distress I called out: LORD! I cried out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him reached his ears." Psalm 18:7

We don't know when the coronavirus will leave us. We should do what the medical professionals suggest by staying home as much as possible, practice social distancing, wash our hands often (something my mother always told me!), etc. In time this this virus will be behind us. Let us realize that God will be there with us to lift us up out of our fears and give us comfort, healing and hope when the coronavirus is behind us. God hears our voices crying out to Him, and He will grant us healing and peace.

Heavenly Father, we ask you to bring healing upon us in our fears. Be with us as we struggle to feel your presence in this crisis. Send your guidance upon all in the medical field as they look for a cure for this disease, and be with all the doctors and nurses as they minister to your people in their illness. Amen.