I Will Come To You
Easter's sixth Sunday
Dear Saints,
First, as always, important announcements:
We're on again this Sunday for Drive-In Mass. Join us in the Walmart parking lot at 9:00am or 11:00am. Check out the new page on our website for more information.
The Outside Confessional remains in (heavy!) use. The schedule for Confession is Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays: 10-11:30am and 3-4:30pm.
Visit our Mission Hub for up-to-date information during these Church-in-exile days.
This weekend's Gospel passage, this Sixth Sunday of Easter, has Jesus promise to send the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. This line really resonates with me:
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Now, not least of all because I know my mom will be reading this email, I have to say that I am not an orphan. But if there is common refrain these days among people who visit the shed, I'd have to say it is the creeping feeling that we have been abandoned.
It is so easy to succumb to that temptation, my friends. And this, I think, for two reasons:
They are quite natural and good desires to be loved, approved of, protected, defended, acknowledged, cherished, valued, and the like. When we find ourselves lacking an adequate foothold - when we feel vulnerable - these big questions start to surface, and we start to doubt that we are being adequately provided for.
The way of life Jesus pioneered - the way of life he calls us to - is all about love. And love, no matter how much we'd prefer it to be otherwise, makes us vulnerable to the beloved. When we feel like we're lacking certain necessary goods to take on the task (like, let's say, the Eucharist), it's easy to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge.
That's why I think, especially in the midst of our current trials and tribulations, Jesus wants us to hear his words again this weekend: I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Jesus, in sending us his Spirit, is empowering us to live totally for God and his purposes. By breathing his life into us, Jesus inspires us to persevere in the way of love no matter the challenge. Heck, he's already defeated death. What can't he do for us and in us and through us?!
I love you, my friends. And I look forward to seeing you soon.
In the Peace of our Risen Lord,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
PS We dedicate the month of May to Mary. If you'd like to learn how to pray the rosary, check out this page from the USCCB.
Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
Sixth Sunday of Easter
A Scene from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308-1311.