Message from our Community Director – April 2020
My dear Sisters and Brothers
It is with very mixed feelings, a heavy heart and a grateful and excited heart, that I share with you this month during this world health crisis where we experience lockdowns in nearly every part of our world and as we hear all the sad news of this deadly virus. So many infected, so many dead, how stressed and overworked are the medical workers, those on the frontline, the frustrations and anxieties in our families, the fear and panic that seems to grip us deep within…we could go on and on..
However, in the midst of this unbelievably sad and worrying time there’s so much hope, sisters and brothers, there is an amazing silver lining on this dark cloud…praise be to God.
As people of faith, we believe that God is still in charge. He has allowed this little micro virus to still the world, to still our activities, to still our entertainment, our schools, our work, to still our busyness, our rushing here and there, to still the thought that man is in charge, to still our greed, our avarice, our corrupt minds, to still our unbridled capitalism, to still our selfishness, our daily habits that bring death to Humankind and Mother Earth. What a fantastic opportunity God is offering us! We have an opportunity to change our habits and to change them for the good of Humankind and Mother Earth, so that we may actually have another chance at life, life to the full, which God sent Jesus his Son to show us 2000 years ago.
The world now has a chance for a healthy environment, a chance for happy and peaceful families communicating love and care and forgiving one another, a chance for honest and caring businesses where integrity and transparency is the norm. A chance for politicians to work together and make decisions for the common good, a chance for the poor and lowly, the refugee and asylum seeker, the marginalized to be able to simply live and share in the wealth of the world. A chance for the world to come together to end wars and to enable peace and the sharing of resources, a chance to open up the gift of a joyful life for all nations, especially those who are so poor and a chance to end poverty in our world. What a fantastic opportunity we have…we pray that all would embrace this opportunity and say yes to the will of God and allow the beautiful flourishing of true life to emerge. What a wonderful world it will be.
Each of us can make a difference, can begin this new journey in our families, while we are locked down, because this is where it begins, in our families.
“We need to rediscover the concreteness of small things, the small acts of kindness shown to those who are close to us, family, friends. We need to realize that our treasure lies in small things. There are tiny gestures that sometimes get lost in the routine of everyday life, gestures of tenderness, affection, compassion, that are nevertheless decisive, important.” (Pope Francis in an interview about Covid-19)
From our families this new spirit, this new opportunity for life will emerge…out of the ashes of our families and our world will come this new life for us all. We pray. Keep safe…stay home…wash hands…and pray together as a family and in stillness with your God who loves you and has not abandoned you.
United in prayer in the hearts of Jesus and Mary……Rhonda