Dear Fellow Parishioners, Is this Lent moving quickly, or is it my imagination? Of course, I am a week ahead of everyone as I prepare to preach for the following Sunday. I feel like I need more time to absorb and contemplate the lessons of the wilderness, the mountain top and the anger of Jesus in the temple than I can fully soak in. Then again it could be that we have been in the wilderness since the beginning of the pandemic and we are trying to play “catch-up” on so many lessons to bring understanding to our minds and hearts.
So, here is what I am doing. I am being gentle and understanding toward myself. There is a lot here and we have been through a great deal. Let us speak words of comfort and encouragement to ourselves, the members of our household, and all with whom we come in contact. Speak tenderly to the people we meet because we are all in the same boat. This Lent is like no other Lent. I have been taking the time to look back at Lent of 2020 when we were asked to shut the doors of our church and began to live stream our Masses. It was not until May that we were able to safely distance in our communities. Celebrating weekend Masses and Holy Week in an empty church, broadcast into people’s homes was a stretch and a challenge for us all.
Good news, this year it is different! We can safely gather 110 people using all the Covid-19 safety protocols presented to us by the Diocese of Worcester in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts regulations. So, we have come a long way.
I noticed an uptick in the numbers attending Mass this weekend, seeing several people who feel safe joining us in the Church. Some people from neighboring parishes have decided to join us after watching our live stream noticing how very careful, we are to make sure everyone is safe. Again, after the 9:30 live stream those watching are welcome and encouraged to come to the church to receive communion.
Bottom line do what you can and be gentle on the journey. Yes, like you, I cannot wait till we can all gather safely together again. In the meantime, create a place of solitude where God can speak the many personal lessons of this very long wilderness journey.