Spiritual Communion at the time of the Pandemic   By Fr Ethel

In recent times, the coronavirus or COVID19 outbreak has had a profound impact on countries around the world—and, increasingly, here in the United States which has the highest number of those infected around the globe.

In light of measures being taken to contain pandemic, almost all countries affected have in one way or the other enforced a stay-at-home order, hence, Masses and other Church services have been suspended for the time being. As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. But in the light of our present situations, we cannot do so now. It is at this exact moment that our faith is most needed.

In an effort to continue the practice of our faith in these trying times, I would like to invite you to reflect with me on ‘Spiritual Communion’, a term that is new to so many Catholics. Saint Pope John Paul II in his encyclical, ‘Ecclesia de Eucharistia’ encouraged the practice of Spiritual Communion ‘which has been a wonderful part of Catholic life for centuries and recommended by saints who were masters of the Spiritual life.

And so, what does the term mean? The Angelic doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas described it as “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the most holy sacrament and lovingly embrace him” at a time or in circumstances when we cannot receive him in sacramental Communion. Such occasions are during war times, sickness, bereavement and of course at such time like this pandemic period which has crippled our whole socio-economic and cultural lives. In essence, we are invited to unite ourselves to God through prayer and beautifully express a profound desire to be united with Him. In such a way, we can ask our Lord to come into our hearts so that we would be united with Him. Spiritual communion is therefore a way for people to access the grace of the Eucharist if they are unable to physically receive it. In a sense, it is a traditional practice of expressing to the Lord our longing for him and our desire for him to enter our hearts. St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) said: “When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you.”

St. Jean-Marie Vianney (1786-1859),whom we also know as Cure of Ars once said “when we feel the love of God growing cold, let us instantly make a spiritual Communion. When we cannot go to the church, let us turn towards the tabernacle; no wall can shut us out from the good God.” Countless saints incorporated this type of prayer into their daily lives, not being satisfied with receiving Jesus in the Eucharist once a week or even once a day. Making an act of spiritual communion for them was an essential part of life and drew them closer to God on a daily basis.
St. Josemaria Escriva encouraged everyone to make a spiritual communion as often as they could, “What a source of grace there is in spiritual communion! Practice it frequently and you’ll have greater presence of God and closer union with him in all your actions.”

Padre Pio also had a habit of making a spiritual communion throughout the day outside of the celebration of Mass. He desired to be always united with Jesus Christ in everything he did.

Recently, Pope Francis on March 15, after reciting a livestreamed Angelus said: "United to Christ we are never alone, but instead form one body, of which he is the head. It is a union that is nourished with prayer and also with spiritual communion in the Eucharist, a practice that is recommended when it isn't possible to receive the sacrament." While there is no formula prescribed by the Church to make an act of spiritual communion, prayers composed by various saints are part of the Church’s rich treasury of devotions.

Though he doesn’t do it every time, Pope Francis has frequently recited aloud a prayer for those watching at home that says, “My Jesus, I believe you are truly present in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar. I love you above all things, and I desire you in my soul. Because right now I cannot receive you sacramentally, at least come spiritually into my heart. As you have already come, I embrace you and unite myself to you. Do not allow that I am ever separated from you.”
In the 1700s, St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote a special prayer for spiritual communion: "My Jesus, I believe you are really here in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you more than anything in the world, and I hunger to receive you. But since I cannot receive Communion at this moment, feed my soul at least spiritually. I unite myself to you now as I do when I actually receive you." Other such acts of spiritual communion are thus:

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.

Now how does one make a good act spiritual communion?

1.Make an act of faith. The key here is to express to the Lord: our faith in his merciful love and his real presence in the Eucharist.

2.Make an act of love. O Lord God, I love you above all things.

3.Express our desire to receive him.

4.Invite Jesus to come into our hearts spiritually.

Spiritual communion needs no special instruction; it only requires the same disposition as the actual reception of the sacrament and a turning to Jesus with the heart. We can also incorporate such things as saying the Rosary and contemplating  the mysteries of the Rosary.

In this way, we would be united with Jesus and would not allow ourselves be assailed by the attacks of the enemy, the devil, whose only desire is to take our attention off from our true and loving God!

         As the world is being ravaged by an invisible enemy and many dead bodies could not even be contained in morgues, there are still a lot of people who live in doubt of the reality of COVID19. We have seen even some religious pundits and leaders across the globe who say it doesn’t exist. But the truth is that it is out there, wrecking havoc on lives and destroying world’s economy, tumbling us all out of modes of living and social connections. My reflection borders on lessons we can learn from this pandemic.

1. You and I are not in charge of our lives. There are so many people living ‘life on the edge’ and because of few abilities they have, they believe that they are super-humans. Not only do some of these people live under the guise that they have it all, but they live under the illusion that they are invincible. It is this kind of people that I have referred to in another reflection as having the ‘delusion of omnipotence’ and should be roused from this false impression. Related to this is still another group that believes that they have been gifted with so much knowledge and therefore suffer from the ‘delusion of omniscience’. But the truth is that we know just so little. Only God knows everything because He is God. Omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence are Divine attributes and therefore we are so much limited as human beings. All human beings are contingent and our existence is dependent on the only true Necessary being: God alone. It is therefore absolutely wrong for any human person to start thinking that he or she is a creator and not a creature. These days of  the pandemic teach us that we are not in control, and that God is — a powerful and healing lesson for all of life (Matthew 5:3).

2. We are more fickle and assailable than we can ever imagine and this is tied with the last point on our human contingency. This pandemic has indeed launched an attack on our human fickle nature. It is an opportunity to slow down a little and ponder on what really matters and of the ‘transcendent’. It gives us the opportunity to really appreciate life more and many of the good things we easily take for granted. At a time like this, because of the lockdown and the global pulse, millions of people find it difficult to take care of even their basic needs. It is an opportunity to think deeply of all we have that God has given to us and appreciate them, knowing that He is ever-provident God. Even the ability to breathe well daily is grace considering the fact that many afflicted by this disease can’t even breathe well. We must take nothing for granted in life. There is a tremendous joy in even the littlest things of life. We don’t always value what we have or the people in our lives till we lose them.

3. Many of us are at this moment learning the values of stillness, contemplation and beauty of silence. In our hyper-active society, many feel tormented and tortured by the global quietude. But I think it is an opportunity to grow in enhancing our humanity, building a relationship with the ‘Absolute’ and reflect more on what really matters. What of enhancing the bond of family life and values? Having more time for personal and family prayers? Reading books that I have hitherto put aside for a long time? Or perhaps developing a skill in writing? Again, even though there has been an upsurge in domestic violence among some married couples, there is no gainsaying that it’s a time of bonding more and connecting with people who should really be close to us.

4. Finally, there is an opportunity to take care of one another. The pandemic has dramatized in an agonizing way the disparity among classes in the society. In some developing countries, one observes, how hopelessly-famished individuals break homes and stores as they steal food .This may grow into a more austere situation. The leaders of different societies have to do something more tangible in order take care of the needy!

Sometimes, the situations we go through in life make us ponder and ask succinct questions on existence, especially of God and the credibility of our faith and trust in Him. Furthermore, the claim of the Christian belief is that He is a God of love, a providential God—a God who is omnipotent, and therefore able to do all things, omniscient and therefore knows all things. But then, more questions arise in our hearts and most times we ponder aloud: ‘If God is truly what our Christian faith claims, why is there so much evil in the world that He created and why does He permit evil to torment us? Why is there so much suffering in God’s beautiful world? Why does He allow me to go through this pain; this excruciating pain that seems to deform and annihilate; this pain that seems to take away my humanity? O God, where are you as I go through the wilderness of death and misery? Do you still love me as your child? Are you still the God who is omnipresent? Oh God, where are you?’ We ask these questions and many more that border on theodicy (a theological construct that attempts to delve into why God permits evil in spite of His being omnipotent and Omni-benevolent Deity). And sometimes, many people may just explain Him away with a wave of a hand as not being truly whom He is perceived to be, or just sequester the thoughts of His existence away from their minds and lives.

           And then some religious folks who believe, nay, so many religions also see in the circumstances of life a dark spell when sufferings such as the pandemic and pestilence strike, interpreting them as signs of Apocalypse. New York Times of Thursday, April 2, 2020 has an article by Elizabeth Dias on its front page wherein the author reported of many, especially Evangelical Christians see in the Covid19 a great sign of the Apocalypse as it was foretold in the Gospel of Luke. Added to the pandemic are socio-political turmoil and economic fiasco, natural disasters like earthquake and tornadoes that take many lives away. And so, people of many faiths and even none at all feel lately as if the end of the world is near. The writer argued that the story of apocalypse is an old one —perennially argued in ancient religious traditions beyond Christianity—including Judaism, Islam and Buddhism and she sees this as a common narrative that arises in moments of social and political crisis. 

            I tend to agree with the writer. When confronted with issues of life and things that threaten the wellbeing of so many, the people tend to start thinking that the end is near. But for us who believe; for us who follow the principles and paths laid by Our Lord Jesus Christ, we know and we affirm our faith in Him when He says: Of the end of the world, no one knows, not even the Angels know when the end will come. And the guiding principle following is therefore not to be afraid or live in fear. In fact, the injunction not to be afraid is repeated 365 times in the Scriptures. It may be correct to say that in almost everyday of the year, God is telling you and me not to be afraid.

           We must affirm it convincingly that God is truly a God of love, always present in the circumstances of our lives. He truly loves us individually. Saint Catherine of Siena was correct when she said that God is madly in love with us (Pazzo D’Amore). God will never stop loving us, no matter what we do. He may hate our sinful ways of life but He always showers us with His love and just like the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15, waits patiently for us to return to Him. That’s who He is. He is a God of love. Pope Benedict made this point clear too in his first encyclical Deus caritas est(God is love).
God loves us to the point that he is interested in every detail of our lives.

             Again, it’s important to state clearly here that God sometimes permits evil so that greater good can come from it. It might be that God is using this pandemic to rouse the world from a 'delusion of omnipotence' and therefore that points to the fact that I am not in charge. I am only a creature and not the creator. If God stops thinking of me, even for a moment, I will cease to be. These days of pandemic teach us that we are not in control, and that God is — a powerful and healing lesson for all of life (Matthew 5:3).

This time, with busyness reduced, offers a priceless opportunity to reflect on our lives — why we are here, what matters most, the people in our lives and those in dire need of our love and care. Reflect in this way. It will pay rich dividends.

One day, Catherine heard Jesus say to her: ‘Remember that I AM and you are not’. That basically means that our existence is dependent on God. God is the only Necessary Being and we all, including all creatures are contingent beings. A necessary being is a being whose non-existence is a logical impossibility, and which therefore exists either timeless or eternally in all possible worlds. A contingent being depends on another and we all fall under this category.
Finally, we should look at Jesus Christ as He lay on the cross as our example. It is as if God is saying to us: Look at my only son who came to save humanity from darkness and sin. He was crucified for your sake. Do not think that I don’t love Him and allowed Him to suffer.’

In essence, suffering and tough times would never denigrate the love God has for us. He loves us and would never stop. His essence is to love, for that’s who He is!

I will start with a story:

A New Jersey man named Franklin went on a vacation to the Middle East with his family, including his cranky mother-in-law. During their vacation in Jerusalem, Franklin’s mother-in-law suddenly became very sick and died. With the death certificate in his hand, Franklin went to the American Consulate Office to make arrangements to send the body back to the United States for a proper burial. The Consul told Franklin that to send the body back to the United States for burial is very, very expensive. It could cost him as much as $8,500.00. The Consul told him, in most cases the person responsible for the remains normally decides to bury the body here in Jerusalem. This would only cost him $250.00. Franklin thinks for some time and answers, "I don’t care how much it will cost to send the body back, that’s what I want to do." The Consul says, "You must have loved your mother-in-law very much considering the difference in price." "No, it’s not that," says Franklin. "You see, I know of a case that happened here about 2000 years ago of a man that was buried here in Jerusalem. On the third day he arose from the dead! I just can’t take that chance!"


        The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is not a mere fable or imagination. It is a historical event. The Resurrection is in fact the very heart and soul of Christianity, therefore forming the kerygma (the core Apostolic proclamation and teaching) of our Christian faith and without this reality and belief, Christianity collapses. When we recite the Nicene Creed, we always say: ‘We believe in the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.’ That’s the core of our faith. And indeed, if there is no resurrection, all of us believers, including Bishops and priests should go and find other jobs and professions for a living. And as Saint Paul said it so well in
I Corinthians 15.14-15 that: ‘If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith. In that case, we are also exposed as false witnesses about God’. We would be the most pitiable, nay, miserable of all people. And that means the whole thing about Christian faith and belief system is a fraud. But if He is raised from the dead, He is whom he said he is. And therefore He should become the absolute centre of our lives.  

          Therefore it is right to say definitively that the Resurrection is the standing and falling point of our faith. It is the be-all and the end-all of the Christian faith. To deny this truth is to cease to be a Christian. One might pick up bits and pieces of Christianity here and there but without the Resurrection, everything will fall apart. It is the key to spiritual detachment. If God has a life for each and every one of us beyond this present life and reality, we would be able to take this life much more lightly and not be obsessed with finding our joy and fulfillment here and now .

St Augustine was definitively right: Our hearts are restless O Lord, till they rest in you. Those who are not convinced of the Resurrection-atheists, nihilists and secularists-who believe that they will just die and that’s it, live life on the fast lane of chasing after pleasure, possessions, power and honor. They go to any extent to enjoy and possess these creature-comforts, otherwise how else could we explain greed, murderous instincts and fighting over possessions and property? Life then is meaningless.  Many politicians and political leaders feed their greed with such unquenchable desire to steal public funds, misuse their power and feel that these would eventually make them happy and satisfied. The Romans had a saying ‘Wealth is like sea-water. The more we drink, the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame” 

The fundamental truth is that none of these things can really satisfy us. And so, once you are convinced of the Resurrection, you know that this our present life, this present world and all the physical realities of our present conditions are not the ultimate and therefore let go of earthly pursuits and aspiring to higher goal-a life on high with God who Himself is love. That’s exactly how the Resurrection shapes our life, our missions in life and our outlook to all realities! Our hope is in the resurrection. Suffering, sicknesses and death so do not have the final say!

Let the power of the Resurrection resonate in our hearts, Alleluia!

Nothing except You, Lord

Once upon a time, in the 13th Century, a Dominican friar, Dominic Of Carseta ,who was the community sacristan was at the Priory chapel from where he observed St Thomas Aquinas praying in tears before the crucifix . He was surprised when he heard a voice spoke from the crucifix in Latin: ‘Bene scripsisti Thoma de me quam ergo mercedem accipies? (“Well hast thou written of Me, Thomas; what reward wilt thou receive”) To which the Angelic Doctor responded: ‘Non nisi Te,Domine’(Nothing except You, Lord).This was after Thomas had written his Summa Theologiae in which he had a treatise on the Eucharist. He wasn’t convinced he had done a great justice on the immensity of this sacrament. Certainly, Thomas Aquinas loved the Eucharist so much and he was the one who composed such beautiful Eucharistic hymns such as Adoro te devote,Panis Angelicus and Tantum ergo Sacramentum. He was a firebrand theologian and philosopher.

What do we make of the answer given by St Thomas? He didn’t ask for honor, long life (he died at a relatively young age of 49) and wealth. In the end, none of the things of this life-pleasure, power, possessions (the 3 Ps) and talents can ultimately satisfy the human person. These may all reflect the goodness of God but none of them can take the place of God. . By asking for nothing except God, Thomas asks that everything in his life be ordered to God alone. Only Him can fill the emptiness and void in our lives. It is God that our souls long for. It is God who made us for happiness. And it is God who will give us at the end of our lives the reward we desire. And our best desire should always be: “Nothing but you, Lord.” God is our ultimate reward and heaven is our goal.

Again and again, the beauty and the perennial validity in this truth stand before us all: the truth that nothing else can satisfy the human person and needs except God. This was also echoed by St Augustine who said it so well: “Our hearts are restless till they rest in you Lord”. Happiness is deeply etched in each person’s heart, but many of us seek it in many varied wrong ways.

Inevitably the question arises:’ What would happen if our Lord Jesus were to knock at my door. ..Would there be room for Him? Do I have space for Him or sequester Him from my life? Is he the Lord (Dominus) of my life? Does he dominate my breath and mind? Or do we really turn away from God?

We begin to do so when we don’t have time for Him. The faster we can move the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have. And God? The question of God never seems urgent. Our time is already filled up. This matter is actually much deeper when we consider the fact that God does not even have a place in the thinking and plans of life of many people. Our process of thinking is sometimes so wired in such a way that people just explains Him away. Not even in their feelings and desires are there thoughts for Him. We want ourselves, our plans and desires to succeed without God. But this is the eternal truth: the more we try to do without God, we dry up, become suffocated by our craze for vanities and creature-comforts. And when we stuff ourselves with things that are not of God, we remain insatiable, and become imprisoned by our own shadows and emptiness. We end up frustrated, fruitless and miserable.
In the main, we are in bad space when we do not have time for God. He should be our utmost desire day after day, moment after moment, for only a relationship built on God, through His Son and The Holy Spirit can give us a true definite happiness and true satisfaction. Only then can our lives have meaning and true satisfying pattern!

(Written on the Solemnity of the Annunciation 25th March 2020)

In our noisy culture when many families have not cultivated the attitude of family prayer, this time of staying together at home may afford us more opportunity to pray together as a family, read and meditate on the Sacred  Scriptures or any other spiritual exercise.

For now, I wish to focus on the Rosary with just key points to help us.

The Rosary, which comprises mainly of recitation of the creed, the Lord ’s Prayer and decades of HailMary is a powerful weapon through which we honor Mary, the Mother of God. Loved by countless saints and encouraged by the Magisterium(That is the teaching authority of the Church),the rosary may seem repetitive and boring to a lot of people who do not really understand it or enter into its spirit. It is a prayer of contemplation, in which we enter into the lives of Jesus and His Mother Mary. In essence, it is not only a Marian prayer, but also Christocentric prayer. Reflecting on this character, Saint John Paul II writes:

"The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium.(2) It is an echo of the prayerof Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer."( Rosarium Virginis Mariae,1)

To say the rosary without the deep contemplative character is like a body without a soul. We journey through the life of Our Lord and His Blessed Mother all at the same moment of the beautiful prayer, laying our feet like the Disciples ready to do God’s will. In this way, Jesus becomes the teacher, while Mary His Mother leads and directs us on the true path to discipleship.

Going more practical now on the contemplative nature of the Rosary, which really involves deep thinking and meditating on the mysteries of our salvation, I wish to focus on one of the mysteries for our illustration-the joyful mystery.

1. We contemplate the Annunciation-the great story of how the Archangel Gabriel brought the news to Mary that she is to be the Mother of the Redeemer. Mary in accepting this mission with her ‘fiat’ obeyed and cooperated with humility in the Theodrama that was to be the dawn of our salvation. In doing this, she became the ‘new Eve’ who upturned what the ‘old Eve’ did.

2. We next contemplate the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth after the archangel told her of her pregnancy. This visitation to Elizabeth was about 70 miles to her town called Ein Karen(a name which means Spring of the Vineyard). I visited this place when we traveled to the Holy Land. Two ancient churches are still there-One is the Church of the visitation and the other is the church of St. John the Baptist. So, at that time, her journey which was by foot may have taken her about 7 days. But that’s what we see when love and charity are in action. Joy shared is joy multiplied.

3. Next, we contemplate the Nativity of Our Lord. With His incarnation, the course of humanity began a new great page in our salvation history. When the Word(the Logos)took flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, He not only submitted to our human condition and pathways, but He uplifted the human race, making us share in His Divinity. He, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the second Person of the Trinity, became one with us men, for our salvation and to show us the best way to live.

4. In the fourth mystery, we contemplate the presentation of Jesus in the temple at Jerusalem. This is an ancient ceremony whereby the child is presented 40 days after birth. Other ancient ceremonies that accompany this ceremony is ‘the redemption of the First born’-whereby the child is bought back from the God, for the first child that opens the womb is dedicated to God. During the ceremony, a pigeon and a lamb are presented to the priest for sin and burnt offerings respectively. But if the parents are poor, usually, they bring two pigeons or turtledoves. In the case of Jesus, two doves were offered. In essence, it was the offering of the poor that His parents offered-and so when you are thinking that you don’t have it all or when you feel down because of your condition, always remember that Jesus was one with the poor-and has special love for those who are at the fringes of the society.

5. In the 5th mystery, we contemplate the Finding of Jesus in the temple. Being a young teenager at that time, about 12, he went with his parents to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover but they lost Him, thinking He was already in one of the caravans gone before. When they later found Him, He was sitting among the scholars of the Law who were bewitched at the wisdom coming from Him. In obedience, he went home with his parents when they sought him out.

--------So we say the Rosary, we contemplate these mysteries, and not allow ourselves to be distracted by creature-comforts or unnecessary things. One of the suggestions I can make, if you are distracted as you pray is to look at the crucifix or a statue or picture of Blessed Mother. Again, have an intention. What is it that you want to pray for? Bring all these as part of the journey as you pray, meditating on the journey of our faith-as you contemplate the mysteries. Remember always that a family that prays together stays together!
 

This is what He did for you and me: A story of Redemptive Love

One of the things that this period of silence and social-distancing has afforded me is not only to delve more into the depths of silent prayers, but also to read books, so many books and novels which I have not had time to read. One of the books that have caught my attention is Matthew Kelly’s ‘Rediscovering Catholicism’. In the prologue, he tells an amazing story which has captured my attention and I am greatly intrigued by that story. For the purpose of our reflection, I wish to replicate the whole narrative here, for I sincerely believe it has a spiritual depth towards our life of faith especially at this time the world is gripped in fear due to this coronavirus pandemic.

---

Imagine this. You're driving home from work next Monday after a long day. You turn on your radio and you hear a brief report about a small village in India where some people have suddenly died, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. It's not influenza, but four people are dead, so the Centers for Disease Control is sending some doctors to India to investigate.

You don't think too much about it — people die every day — but coming home from church the following Sunday you hear another report on the radio, only now they say it's not four people who have died, but thirty thousand, in the back hills of India. Whole villages have been wiped out and experts confirm this flu is a strain that has never been seen before.

By the time you get up Monday morning, it's the lead story. The disease is spreading. It's not just India that is affected. Now it has spread to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and northern Africa, but it still seems far away. Before you know it, you're hearing this story everywhere. The media have now coined it "the mystery flu." The President has announced that he and his family are praying for the victims and their families, and are hoping for the situation to be resolved quickly.
But everyone is wondering how we are ever going to contain it.

That's when the President of France makes an announcement that shocks Europe: He is closing the French borders. No one can enter the country, and that's why that night you're watching a little bit of CNN before going to bed. Your jaw hits your chest when a weeping woman's words are translated into English from a French news program: There's a man lying in a hospital in Paris dying of the mystery flu. It has come to Europe.

Panic strikes. As best they can tell, after contracting the disease, you have it for a week before you even know it, then you have four days of unbelievable symptoms, and then you die.
The British close their borders, but it's too late. The disease breaks out in Southampton, Liverpool, and London, and on Tuesday morning the President of the United States makes the following announcement: "Due to a national security risk, all flights to and from the United States have been canceled. If your loved ones are overseas, I'm sorry. They cannot come home until we find a cure for this horrific disease."

Within four days, America is plunged into an unbelievable fear. People are wondering, What if it comes to this country? Preachers on television are saying it's the scourge of God. Then on Tuesday night you are at church for Bible study, when somebody runs in from the parking lot and yells, "Turn on a radio!" And while everyone listens to a small radio, the announcement is made: Two women are lying in a hospital in New York City dying of the mystery flu. It has come to America.

Within hours the disease envelops the country. People are working around the clock, trying to find an antidote, but nothing is working. The disease breaks out in California, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, and Massachusetts. It's as though it's just sweeping in from the borders.
Then suddenly the news comes out: The code has been broken. A cure has been found. A vaccine can be made. But it's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected. So you and I are asked to do just one thing: Go to the nearest hospital and have our blood tested. When we hear the sirens go off in our neighborhood, we are to make our way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospital.

Sure enough, by the time you and your family get to the hospital it's late Friday night. There are long lines of people and a constant rush of doctors and nurses taking blood and putting labels on it. Finally, it is your turn. You go first, then your spouse and children follow, and once the doctors have taken your blood they say to you, "Wait here in the parking lot for your name to be called." You stand around with your family and neighbors, scared, waiting, wondering. Wondering quietly to yourself, What on earth is going on here? Is this the end of the world? How did it ever come to this?

Nobody seems to have had their name called; the doctors just keep taking people's blood. But then suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital, screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. You don't hear him at first. "What's he saying?" someone asks. The young man screams the name again as he and a team of medical staff run in your direction, but again you cannot hear him. But then your son tugs on your jacket and says, "Daddy, that's me. That's my name they're calling." Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. "Wait a minute. Hold on!" you say, running after them. "That's my son."

"It's okay," they reply. "We think he has the right blood type. We just need to check one more time to make sure he doesn't have the disease."

Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying and hugging each another; some of them are even laughing. It's the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week. An old doctor walks up to you and your spouse and says, "Thank you. Your son's blood is perfect. It's clean, it's pure, he doesn't have the disease, and we can use it to make the vaccine."
As the news begins to spread across the parking lot, people scream and pray and laugh and cry. You can hear the crowd erupting in the background as the gray-haired doctor pulls you and your spouse aside to say, "I need to talk to you. We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we . . . we need you to sign a consent form."

The doctor presents the form and you quickly begin to sign it, but then your eye catches something. The box for the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty.
"How many pints?" you ask. That is when the old doctor's smile fades, and he says, "We had no idea it would be a child. We weren't prepared for that."

You ask him again, "How many pints?" The old doctor looks away and says regretfully, "We are going to need it all!"

"But I don't understand. What do you mean you need it all? He's my only son!"

The doctor grabs you by the shoulders, pulls you close, looks you straight in the eyes, and says,

"We are talking about the whole world here. Do you understand? The whole world. Please, sign the form. We need to hurry. People are dying!"

"But can't you give him a transfusion?" you plead.

"If we had clean blood we would, but we don't. Please, will you sign the form?"

What would you do? In numb silence you sign the form because you know it's the only thing to do. Then the doctor says to you, "Would you like to have a moment with your son before we get started?"

Could you walk into that hospital room where your son sits on a table saying, "Daddy? Mommy? What's going on?" Could you tell your son you love him? And when the doctors and nurses come back in and say, "I'm sorry, we've got to get started now; people all over the world are dying," could you leave? Could you walk out while your son is crying out to you, "Mom? Dad? What's going on? Where are you going? Why are you leaving? Why have you abandoned me?"

The following week, they hold a ceremony to honor your son for his phenomenal contribution to humanity … but some people sleep through it, others don't even bother to come because they have better things to do, and some people come with a pretentious smile and pretend to care, while others sit around and say, "This ceremony is boring!" Wouldn't you want to stand up and say, "Excuse me! I'm not sure if you are aware of it or not, but the amazing life you have, my son died so that you could have that life. My son died so that you could live. He died for you. Does it mean nothing to you?"

Perhaps that is what God wants to say to us.

---

          The Son of God died so that we all might live. That is the mystery of the Redemptive love that He has for us. It is only in Him, Jesus Christ can our lives have meaning and harmony. He is the fullness of life. Our difficulties, sufferings and sicknesses have redemptive meaning and it is only when we live for Him, trustfully following His paths can we have a fulfilled life. The truth is this: ‘A life without Jesus is meaningless’ .Therefore, the greatest friendship and relationship we can ever have is that of Jesus. And put in a reversal way, a life without Jesus Christ is a wasted life. It is tragedy. In the main, the greatest tragedy in life is not death-rather, it is to live a life without purpose, a life without building this relationship with Him who died that we may all have life. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the goal changer. He alone can give true meaning to our lives!

Saint Joseph: Custodian of the Holy family and Our Parish Patron

          March 19 has always been celebrated by the Universal Church as the feast day of St Joseph. And coincidentally, that’s the feast of our Parish Patron Saint here at St Joseph’s, Babylon, New York. As we silently ponder the mystery of life and salvation in the silence of our homes and silent spaces, occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic-which has taken in its tolls thousands of lives around the globe, and has made us scamper for safety too, I wish to reflect on one or two things on the spirituality of this feast.
The name ‘Joseph’, a name which from its Hebrew derivative means ‘May God increase’ was the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was a quiet gentle carpenter of Nazareth. Not much was written about him. He was not known to speak much. But his silence spoke volumes in bearing testimony of his care, love, devotion and protection of the Holy Family. He protected Jesus and Mary. During the flight to Egypt, he led them to safety and patronage. He was always there for them. Many artistic representations have always shown him as an elderly man-but he fought to see them well catered for.
           In Matthew 1.24, we read that he did as the Angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. In this, we see his mission as ‘custos’-a word which we can sparsely translate as a protector, a custodian, a guardian. He discovered his mission in the Theodrama as the protector of Jesus and Mary. And Joseph’s role extends through to the Universal Church too. Writing about this in his enclyclical,Redemptoris Custos, Saint John Paul stated that ‘Just as Joseph took loving care of the Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical body, the Church’(Redemptoris Custos,1)
Where do all these lead us? In Joseph, we too as Catholics, and members of this parish could learn how to respond to God’s call of protecting Jesus Christ in our lives from the poison and stain of sin. And also be able to protect others too. At the age where the voice of secularism and egodrama seem to pander all in their wake to swallow the voice of God and destroy our faith, we have to stand tall, defend our faith and become true custodians of our faith and the Church. In this sense too, we have to be true Apologists for our Catholic faith.
We are also meant to be protectors of one another. This time of the coronavirus pandemic is time to check out on our next door neighbours, not necessarily by intrusion into private space but could be by phone calls, emails and other forms of communications. Always be mindful of social distancing please. Perhaps, it may be good to call around other members of our Parish community, the elderly, the sick and the infirm. Those who are lonely too need our care and love. We are all members of one community of faith. This is a time to care. And perhaps, you could render a hand of help for those in need, help in inviting the authorities to take care of particular situations, medical personnel, etc. We are all in need of one another’s care and love as we go through these tough days. And remember, your life is not just about you. A candle loses nothing in lighting another. We are all connected with one another as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ!