“We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Jn 8:12
Times seem especially dark right now. For the first time in the 2000 years of the Catholic Church, public Masses have ceased in Rome. Churches have closed their doors. Now in our own Yakima Diocese, Masses have been cancelled - possibly for the remainder of Lent, for Good Friday, for Easter Sunday. Many people around the world are already suffering from the Coronavirus, while the rest of us dread its possible impact in our own communities. An invisible enemy is surely difficult to fight.
At the same time, I’ve been reading hopeful social media posts. In Italy, people are coming out on their balconies to sing together. In China, a woman posts about her experience under quarantine for seven weeks, praising God for hearing birdsong in the unusual quiet, for precious time with her family, and for the generous help of her neighbors. In western Washington, a young mother posts a video, filmed on her phone in the dark of morning. Her husband is quarantined in his bedroom after an exposure to Coronavirus at work. Unafraid, she tells us, “God has got this,” while reading a scripture passage from Isaiah, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone” (Is 9:1).
The light of Christ cannot be dimmed. My heart is broken to be unable to receive the Eucharist but we have to believe that God has got this. Masses are broadcast online and on television by EWTN and other sources. Find one. Pray. Make a spiritual communion. Read scripture. And always remember, Jesus said, “Be not afraid… I am with you until the end of time” (cf Jn 6:20; Mt. 28:20).
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
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