Deacon Ward's Daily Message 3/24/20

Mater Dei Parish

St. Mary Star of the Sea / St. Edward the Confessor / St. James the Greater / St. Benedict Labre

Deacon Ward’s Morning Message

March 24, 2020

My Brothers and Sister in Christ, good morning!

"Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good." CCC: 2288

Let us pray:

Act of Charity for Lent

O my God, I love you above all things with my whole heart and soul because you are all good and worthy of my love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen.

My friends in Christ...a new day has dawned; may we use the hours of this day to imitate the will of our Lord!

I have no new pertinent updates for you this morning from our Mater 

Dei Parish, or from the Diocese of Burlington.

I do remind every one that tomorrow, Wednesday, 3/25/20, at noon (Rome time...7:00 AM our time), as a response to the coronavirus, Pope Francis will recite the "Our Father" together with all the world. The pope said "Let's remain united!"

Also, on Friday of this week, March 28, 2020, Pope Francis will deliver an extraordinary "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing...normally given at Christmas and Easter...and called for worldwide prayer to respond to this deadly virus. This will take place at 6:00 PM Rome time...1:00 PM our time.

Catholics who receive this blessing, either in person or via the media, can, under certain conditions, receive a special indulgence. An indulgence is remission of punishment of sin.

There has been an abounding number of reflections, prayers and thoughts brought forth regarding this difficult and dangerous virus that surrounds us. 

One that I thought I would share with you today is by Bishop Robert Barron. Bishop Barron excels at making clear complex issues, whether they be theological, spiritual, or something that we share in our ordinary lives, writing in such way that really hits home...making sense to something we may not quite understand.

Today, Bishop Barron writes about, "The Coronavirus and Sitting in a Room Alone." (Read Below)

There will be no video today.

Until next time...

In His peace.

Deacon Ward

From Bishop Robert Barron

(A Lenten response to COVID-19)

Perhaps, we could all think of this time of semi-quarantine as an invitation to some monastic introspection, some serious confrontation with the questions that matter -- some purposeful sitting alone in a room.

Blaise Pascal said, "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." The great 17th-century philosopher thought that most of us, most of the time, distract ourselves from what truly matters through a series of divertissements (diversions). He was speaking from experience. Though one of the brightest men of his age and one of the pioneers of the modern physical sciences and of computer technology, Pascal frittered away a good deal of his time through gambling and other trivial pursuits. In a way, he knew, such diversions are understandable, since the great questions -- Does God exist? Why am I here? Is there life after death? -- are indeed overwhelming. But if we are to live in a serious and integrated way, they must be confronted -- and this is why, if we want our most fundamental problems to be resolved, we must be willing to spend time in a room alone.

This Pascalian mot has come to my mind a good deal in recent days as our entire country goes into shutdown mode due to the coronavirus. Shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, school campuses, sports stadiums, airports, etc. -- the very places where we typically seek out fellowship or divertissements -- are all emptying out. This is obviously good from the standpoint of physical health, but I wonder whether we might see it as something very good for our psychological and spiritual health as well. Perhaps, we could all think of this time of semi-quarantine as an invitation to some monastic introspection, some serious confrontation with the questions that matter -- some purposeful sitting alone in a room.

Might I make a few suggestions in regard to our retreat? Get out your Bible and read one of the Gospels in its entirety -- perhaps the Gospel of Matthew, which we are using for Sunday Mass this liturgical year. Read it slowly, prayerfully; use a good commentary if that helps. Or practice the ancient art that has been recommended warmly by the last several popes -- namely, "lectio divina." This "divine reading" of the Bible consists in four basic steps: lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio. First, read the scriptural text carefully; second, pick out one word or one passage that specially struck you, and then mediate on it, like a ruminating animal chewing on its cud; third, speak to God, telling him how your heart was moved by what you read; fourth and finally, listen to the Lord, discerning what he speaks back to you. Trust me, the Bible will spring to life when you approach it through this method.

Or read one of the spiritual classics during this time of imposed isolation. Keep in mind that, prior to the rise of the physical sciences, the best and brightest people in our Western intellectual tradition entered the fields of philosophy, theology, and spirituality. One of the dark sides of our post-Enlightenment culture is a general forgetfulness of the astonishing richness produced by generations of brilliant spiritual teachers. So take up St. Augustine's "Confessions," preferably in Maria Boulding's recent translation, which reads like a novel, or Frank Sheed's classic translation. Though he lived and wrote 17 centuries ago, the spiritual seeker of our time will discern in Augustine's story the contours and trajectories of his own. Or read the "Rule of St. Benedict," especially the section on the twelve degrees of humility. If you dare, follow "St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises," preferably under the direction of a good guide (who doesn't have the coronavirus!). If these texts and practices seem too dated, spend your quiet time with Thomas Merton's splendid autobiography "The Seven Storey Mountain," which, in compelling prose, tells the story of the 20th-century author's journey from self-absorbed worldling to Trappist monk.

And of course, pray. When Merton was once asked what is the most important thing a person could do to improve her prayer life, he replied, "Take the time." Well, now we have more time. Do a Holy Hour every day or every other day. Dust off your rosary, which I think is one of the most sublime prayers in the Catholic tradition. When we pray it well, we meditate on the mysteries of Christ; we call to mind, fifty times, the inevitability our own passing ("now and at the hour of our death"); and we entrust ourselves to the most powerful intercessor on earth or in heaven. Not a bad way to spend twenty minutes. Take the time at the end of the day to examine your conscience -- and not in a cursory manner. Do it carefully, prayerfully, honestly. Ask yourself how many times in the course of the day you missed an opportunity to show love, how many times you did not respond to a grace, how often you fell into a habitual sin.

Now that we're being asked to keep a certain distance from our fellow human beings, embrace the solitude and silence in a spiritually alert way. Go for that long walk on the beach, across the fields, up in the hills -- wherever you like to go to be alone. And just talk to God. Ask him what he wants you to do. Pray for your kids or your parents or your friends who might be struggling. Tell him how much you love him and how you want greater intimacy with him. And please put away the iPhones! Open your eyes, lift up your heads, and take in the beauty of God's creation and thank him for it.

If Pascal is right, many of our deepest problems can be solved by sitting, with spiritual attention, alone in a room. Perhaps through God's strange providence, the quarantine we're enduring might be our chance.

- Bishop Robert Barron is the founder of the global ministry, Word on Fire, and is an Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.