Persons inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ congregate at Saint Lucy’s Church so that they may be empowered by Him through the celebration of the Eucharist and enliven by the Holy Spirit in order to be as loving and caring as Jesus was. The truth of this mission statement is valid today and in the reality of the coronavirus. When persons inspired by Jesus gather, they actually strengthen one another’s faith. The physical gathering of people—the congregating of people—unfortunately increases the probability of spreading this contagious virus. So, we abstain from gathering together. We refrain from lighting a candle and praying in front of the statue of the saint who has inspired our family and us. This abstinence from the Eucharist and from congregational moments has a positive side. It encourages us to use our spiritual senses that were awakened in the rite of baptism. Our spiritual senses are the mode God prefers to speak to us as we read in psalm 34: “Taste and see how good Yahweh is!” To taste and see the Lord, only our spiritual senses can achieve this. In this time of “social distancing” may we use our spiritual senses to congregate with one another, and to experience the Lord who walks with us during this difficult time, and who encourages us to be loving and caring even though some leaders want us to be to be racists, bigoted and hateful.
Paul Donohue, MCCJ, Pastor St. Lucy's Church