Easter at home is an ‘opportunity for faith,’ Vatican offici

[Deleted]

Easter at home is an ‘opportunity for faith,’ Vatican official says


VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With the prospect of trying to celebrate Easter without a large parish or Vatican liturgies, Catholics still can turn a tragic situation into an experience of faith and hope, said Cardinal Beniamino Stella.



In an interview with Vatican News March 17, Cardinal Stella, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, said that while the current lockdown in Italy will keep thousands from celebrating Easter in Rome, "today there are still possibilities to transform this tragedy into an opportunity for faith."



"I believe that, today, technology truly allows us to live a communion that would seem virtual. But, in fact, it is not just virtual, because I believe that the Holy Spirit also passes through these new things in today's world and speaks to hearts, speaks to consciences, speaks to little ones and speaks to great ones," he said.



When asked about the many Christians who will be unable to celebrate Easter at the Vatican, Cardinal Stella said that the timing of the lockdown during the Lenten season is a call to prepare for Christ's resurrection in their own homes.



"I believe that all these pilgrims who were on their way to Rome or to the shrines must think that their Easter and their call to conversion must take place in the family, in their small environment, where the Lord calls them to live the mystery of Easter in this time," the Italian cardinal said.



The Italian government enacted strict measures designed to encourage people to stay home and to limit opportunities for people to unknowingly spread COVID-19 to others.



Public gatherings, including Masses, have been banned in Italy through April 3, two days before Palm Sunday. However, a notification from the Prefecture of the Papal Household stated that "the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week will take place without the physical presence of the faithful."


The notification caused speculation that the government's ban on public gatherings could be extended in the wake of increasing infections and deaths due to the coronavirus.



Cardinal Stella said he believed the Holy Spirit would give the grace to all Christians so that they may experience a "beautiful and profound" Holy Week, "even in the sadness of mourning, illnesses and a tragedy of which we do not know the extent and, especially, the duration."



Citing an excerpt from Alessandro Manzoni's experience about the plague in his book "The Betrothed," Cardinal Stella said he personally found comfort in the author's statement that "God never disturbs the joy of his children except to send a greater joy."



"I found this expression truly consoling for our lives," he said. "I believe that in the absence of rites, of physical participation, we must find in these circumstances a profound way of greater intimacy with the Lord to communicate with the church, with the sacraments."



While this unusual Lenten season has left him with an abundance of time for prayer, adoration and reflection, Cardinal Stella said it was important for everyone to be in touch with friends and loved ones in order "to create a beautiful network that unites us in this moment."



"I have also said it to the priests, to the parish priests. I said, 'Invent something to communicate with your faithful; turn this moment of trial, great worry and crisis into an opportunity.'"



www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/18/easter-home-opportunity-faith-vatican-official-says?utm_source=Newsletters&utm_campaign=f842a1c6a2-DAILY_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0fe8ed70be-f842a1c6a2-58449517

[Deleted]

Faith in the time of Coronavirus


James Martin, S.J.


The coronavirus pandemic is confusing and frightening for hundreds of millions of people. That is not surprising. Many around the world are sick and many others have died. Unless the situation changes dramatically, many more will fall ill and die around the globe. This crisis raises serious medical, ethical and logistical questions. But it raises additional questions for people of faith. So I would like to offer some advice from the Christian tradition, Ignatian spirituality and my own experience.



Resist panic. This is not to say there is no reason to be concerned, or that we should ignore the sound advice of medical professionals and public health experts. But panic and fear are not from God. Calm and hope are. And it is possible to respond to a crisis seriously and deliberately while maintaining an inner sense of calm and hope.


St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, often talked about two forces in our interior lives: one that draws us toward God and the other away from God. The one that draws us away from God, which he labeled the evil spirit, “causes gnawing anxiety, saddens and sets up obstacles. In this way it unsettles people by false reasons aimed at preventing their progress.” Sound familiar? Don’t lend credence to lies or rumors, or give in to panic. Trust what medical experts tell you, not those who fear monger. There is a reason they call Satan the “Prince of Lies.”



Panic, by confusing and frightening you, pulls you away from the help God wants to give you. It is not coming from God. What is coming from God? St. Ignatius tells us: God’s spirit “stirs up courage and strength, consolations, inspirations and tranquility.” So trust in the calm and hope you feel. That is the voice to listen to.



“Do not be afraid!,” as Jesus said many times.



Do not demonize. The other day a friend told me that when an elderly Chinese man got onto a subway car in New York City, the car emptied out as people started shouting slurs at him, blaming his country for spreading the virus. Resist the temptation to demonize or scapegoat, which increases in time of stress and shortages. Covid-19 is not a Chinese disease; it is not a “foreign” disease. It is no one’s “fault.” Likewise, the people who become infected are not to blame. Remember that Jesus was asked about a blind man: “Who sinned, that this man was born blind?” Jesus’ response: “No one” (Jn 9:2). Illness is not a punishment. So don’t demonize and don’t hate.



Many things have been cancelled because of the coronavirus. Love is not one of them.




Care for the sick. This pandemic may be a long haul; some of our friends and family may get sick and perhaps die. Do what you can to help others, especially the elderly, disabled, poor and isolated. Take the necessary precautions; don’t be reckless and don’t risk spreading the disease, but also don’t forget the fundamental Christian duty to help others. “I was sick, and you came to visit me,” said Jesus (Mt 25). And remember that Jesus lived during a time when people had no access to even the most rudimentary medical care, and so visiting the sick was just as dangerous, if not more, than it is today. Part of the Christian tradition is caring for the sick, even at some personal cost.



And do not close your hearts to the poor and those who have no or limited healthcare. Refugees, the homeless and migrants, for example, will suffer even more than the general population. Keep your heart open to all those in need. Don’t let your conscience become infected, too.


Pray. Catholic churches around the world are closing, with Masses and other parish services cancelled by many bishops. These are prudent and necessary measures designed to keep people healthy. But they come at some cost: For many people, this removes one of the most consoling parts of their lives—the Mass and the Eucharist—and isolates them even more from the community at a time when they most need support.



What can one do instead? Well, there are many televised and livestreamed Masses available, as well as ones broadcast on the radio. But even if you can’t find one, you can pray on your own. When you do, remember that you’re still part of a community. There is also the longstanding tradition in our church of receiving a “spiritual communion,” when, if you cannot participate in the Mass in person, you unite yourself with God in prayer.



And be creative. You can meditate on the Sunday Gospel on your own, consult a Bible commentary about the readings, gather your family to talk about the Gospel or call friends and share your experiences of how God is present to you, even in the midst of a crisis. The persecuted Christians in the early church prayed and shared their faith in the catacombs, and we can do the same. Remember that Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Mt. 18:20). Remember too that the church is not a building. It is the community.



Trust that God is with you. Many people, especially those who are sick, may feel a sense of isolation that compounds their fear. And many of us, even if we’re not infected, will know people who are sick and even die. So most will naturally ask: Why is this happening?

There is no satisfactory answer to that question, which at its core is the question of why suffering exists, something that saints and theologians have pondered over the centuries. In the end, it is the greatest of mysteries. And the question is: Can you believe in a God that you don’t understand?



At the same time, we know that Jesus understands our suffering and accompanies us in the most intimate of ways. Remember that during his public ministry Jesus spent a great deal of time with those who were sick. And before modern medicine, almost any infection could kill you. Thus, lifespans were short: only 30 or 40 years. In other words, Jesus knew the world of illness.



Jesus, then, understands all the fears and worries that you have. Jesus understands you, not only because he is divine and understands all things but because he is human and experienced all things. Go to him in prayer. And trust that he hears you and is with you.



Trust in my prayers, too. We will move through this together, with God’s help.

www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/13/faith-time-coronavirus


Vincent said this:

Now we find out how Christian each of us really is!



I know someone whose job as a waiter has disappeared in the last two days due to the crisis. I know someone who may have been infected by a senior on the bus which he drives and there aren’t enough tests as yet. The local supermarket shelves are empty. I attended Mass online and still have my church envelopes here in the house. The Federal Reserve drastically cut rates yesterday (to which the president smiled and congratulated) and inadvertently persuaded the nation and the world that we are probably on the verge of a giant recession if not depression if indicators are accurate.



Now is the time for the Catholics of the USA to insist to each other that whatever wealth and surplus that we possess must be shared with the poor to help them through this crisis. I have heard Pelosi cry out that money needs to be provided to those who have lost jobs. Where are the loud and thundering voices of Bishops to insist the same under the pain of sin? Or will the poor, as usual, only have the Gospel preached to them?



I don’t want Bernie’s revolution. I want the revolution that is our Faith. How many truly believe?