Behold, I am with you

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Each day we can take great consolation in the promise of Our Lord, “Behold, I am with you, to the close of the age.” (Mt 28:20) What a message of hope!

We are living in extraordinary days when we can fall into thinking that the Lord Jesus is not with us or that His Church is going away.  The coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down.  Fear, anxiety and confusion are gripping many people.  Public authorities have given directives that make it impossible for us to gather.  Consequently, the public celebration of Holy Mass cannot take place and the celebration of the other sacraments is curtailed.

We may cry out, “Jesus, where are You?” Yet, we believe with all our hearts that He is always true to His promise, “I am with you…”  We believe that He is with us, His Body. the Church. The truth is this: Jesus Christ is with us during this time of crisis and His Church is coming back stronger than ever.
How do we keep focused on Him?  We must be strong in faith and take advantage of the many treasures in His Church that help us to stay close to Him. Here are some ways to do so: 

• Unite ourselves with the Sacrifice of the Mass, which continues to be offered for us. Even though we cannot gather together for Mass, our priests are offering His Holy Sacrifice each day for all our intentions.  We can unite ourselves with this great Sacrifice, even from afar.  Televised or streamed Mass helps us to do so.  No, it is not the same as being there. We pray and await the day when the celebration of Holy Mass will be opened for us.  Yes! His Church is coming back stronger than ever.

• Make visits to the Blessed Sacrament.  Our churches remain open and Jesus, truly present in the tabernacle, waits for us.   We can come before Him privately in love, prayer and adoration and he will strengthen us and help us. Yes! He is with us and His Church will be back stronger than ever.

• Make a Spiritual Communion each day.  This wonderful practice is a great source of grace.  When we cannot receive Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament at Mass, we ask Him to come into our heart spiritually. If you are unfamiliar with this prayer, call a friend to ask or see our diocesan website, www.diopitt.org/spiritual-resources. Yes! He is with us and His Church will be back stronger than ever.

• Make the Stations of the Cross in church or at home.  In times of trouble or difficulty we should always offer our suffering with the sufferings of Jesus Himself.  Walking the Way of the Cross with Jesus and His Mother helps us to do just that and be strengthened by His Passion.  “By His wounds we are healed.”  (1Pt 2:24)

• Make our homes “domestic churches” and sanctuaries of prayer.  The Second Vatican Council said that our homes should mirror the House of God.  Pope St. John Paul II taught that our homes must become “little churches.” God should dwell in them.  We should turn to the Most Holy Mother of God, Mary our Mother, and ask her to intercede for us and protect us from all evil.  We invoke the intercession of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the patron of the Universal Church, to watch over our homes and loved ones.  Let us take up the rosary of Our Lady again and pray it daily, preferably as a family if possible. It is important to have holy images of Our Lord and our Blessed Mother prominent in our homes to inspire us to pray and remind us that they are always with us.  We can always dedicate our homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Yes! He is with us and His Church will be back stronger than ever.

• Read Holy Scripture every day.  We should turn to the psalms and the gospels especially.  A very practical and organized way to do so it to use the daily readings, the responsorial psalm and the gospel of the day.  We can find them, as well as the prayers for Mass of each day, in a hand missal, a publication like Magnificat, or an app such as Laudate.  A tremendous way to pray!  In addition, the Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office, is a wonderful way to unite ourselves in prayer with the Body of Christ throughout the world.

• Make a Morning Offering when we arise each day.  We offer to God all we are and possess, to serve Him in union with the Sacrifice of the Mass and in honor of our Blessed Mother.  He has given us everything, so we offer all of that back to Him in order to  know Him, love Him and serve Him.

• Rediscover the beautiful prayers and devotions of the Church.  Begin with the Rosary. which is at the heart of the devotional life of the Church.  As Bishop Zubik reminded us in his recent pastoral letter, “corona” – Latin for “crown” – is a traditional  name for the Rosary, Our Lady’s perfect antidote for fear and sorrow. Litanies to Our Lord, Our Lady and the saints are beautiful ways to pray with others.  Our treasured prayers and novenas to our patron saints and the holy angels are inspiring ways to ask for heavenly aid.  Of course, we should never forget the Divine Mercy Chaplet and devotion, especially at the 3 o’clock hour.  We need God’s mercy now more than ever!  When we pray, we never pray alone.  We are always united with the Church throughout the world and the Church in heaven.  Our brothers and sisters in the Church in this world, and our brothers and sisters who are the saints in heaven, are always praying and are spiritually present to us.  Social distancing cannot separate us!   “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you…” (Mt 7:7) We are never alone.  Yes! He is with us and His Church will be back stronger than ever.

• Make a renewed effort during this time of sheltering at home to renew your mind by learning about Jesus and His Church.  We can pick up the Catechism of the Catholic Church or some other good Catholic book to study, reflect and learn.  We should take advantage of all the on-line resources that help us to grow in faith and holiness.   How wonderful it is to do this as a family!  The resources offered on our website can get us started.

 
The key for us now is to look beyond ourselves.  We look up to God and outward to one another.  Now is the time for hope. Now is the time to pray with renewed fervor.  Now is the time to reach out to one another in prayer, and in acts of charity and care, especially for those who are elderly, weak, alone or anxious.  Let us strengthen each other in faith by showing our love for God and for one another. 

Please consult www.diopitt.org/spiritual-resources  for practical suggestions and information on how to be united in prayer as we prepare to come back strong to Holy Mass and the sacraments. 
Remember that our current situation of social distancing is only temporary.  It is a great sacrifice for us, but one that can be offered for the love of God and the salvation of souls.  Let’s follow Him who suffered all for us.

What is Our Lord telling us today?  He promises us, “Behold! I am with you.”  He is calling out to us, “My Church is with you and will be back stronger than ever.”

With an assurance of my prayers as I commend each of you and your families to the Most Holy Mother of God, I remain

Fraternally yours in Christ,
 

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh