Have you encountered Clarence, the guardian angel yet? Hopefully, more than a few of you know that I"m referring to the character from the holiday classic movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" which has already aired at least once on television during this time of the year. There is no question that this "guardian angel" played a key (but not long) role in this movie as he guides George Bailey to change his mind about committing suicide and aids him in appreciating the true riches of his life which were his family and friends.
When the subject of guardian angels comes up or of speaking of your own guardian angel, do you accept and appreciate this belief of our faith that God gives each person a guardian angel to be with us throughout our life "to light, to guard, to rule and to guide" us in the way that God wants us to live? During this time of pandemic when taking precautions against contracting it, are leading to more time alone and times of loneliness, our guardian angel (who has no particular name, unless you choose to give it one) can bring us the comfort of knowing that God is ALWAYS present to us with his love and peace and ready to give us strength to get through the most difficult of times.
In the book I have on quotes from St. Padre Pio to his spiritual directors and to those he directed in their spiritual journey (including now me), he speaks clearly and fondly about the presence of Raffaelina Cerase's guardian angel including the future consolation of seeing her "good angel" at the hour of her death. I want to share with you a longer quote from St. padre Pio to Raffaelina and invite you to comtemplate this with regard to your own guardian agngel, especially in these difficult, pandemic times. "Be aware, Raffaelina, that this good angel prays for you. He offers all your good deeds and all your holy and pure desires to God. During the times you seem to be alone and abandoned, do not complain about not having a friend you can open up to and with whom you can share your sorrows. For goodness sake, do not forget this invisible companion who is always there to listen to you and always ready to comfort you. Oh, what a delightful intimacy! On, what blessed companionship! Oh, if only everyone knew how to understand and appreciate this great gift: God, in the overabundance of his love for humanity, has assigned this heavenly being to us! Remember his presence often!!
When the subject of guardian angels comes up or of speaking of your own guardian angel, do you accept and appreciate this belief of our faith that God gives each person a guardian angel to be with us throughout our life "to light, to guard, to rule and to guide" us in the way that God wants us to live? During this time of pandemic when taking precautions against contracting it, are leading to more time alone and times of loneliness, our guardian angel (who has no particular name, unless you choose to give it one) can bring us the comfort of knowing that God is ALWAYS present to us with his love and peace and ready to give us strength to get through the most difficult of times.
In the book I have on quotes from St. Padre Pio to his spiritual directors and to those he directed in their spiritual journey (including now me), he speaks clearly and fondly about the presence of Raffaelina Cerase's guardian angel including the future consolation of seeing her "good angel" at the hour of her death. I want to share with you a longer quote from St. padre Pio to Raffaelina and invite you to comtemplate this with regard to your own guardian agngel, especially in these difficult, pandemic times. "Be aware, Raffaelina, that this good angel prays for you. He offers all your good deeds and all your holy and pure desires to God. During the times you seem to be alone and abandoned, do not complain about not having a friend you can open up to and with whom you can share your sorrows. For goodness sake, do not forget this invisible companion who is always there to listen to you and always ready to comfort you. Oh, what a delightful intimacy! On, what blessed companionship! Oh, if only everyone knew how to understand and appreciate this great gift: God, in the overabundance of his love for humanity, has assigned this heavenly being to us! Remember his presence often!!
We all know the phrase, "Hindsight is twenty, twenty. When it comes to our parish re-subscribing to FORMED.org I must say, I wish we had done so months earlier during this "COVID time" when most of us are not getting out as much and are looking for activities to occupy our time. I am happy, that as we begin the season of Advent all Sacred Heart Parishioners (who have internet access) can get on this website to pull up Catholic videos that vary from helps for our spiritual lives, to teachings on our faith, to movie's that are good for all ages to view, to 30 minute stories of saints from the past and the present. As I recently scrolled down many offerings on FORMED.org, I see that there is a presentation on the release by the Vatican of the report that deals with all aspects of the sexual abuse perpetrated by now defrocked Cardinal McCarrick which will help us to deal with the mistakes of Church leaders in not addressing this situation for so long and how we look ahead with determination to hold ALL people accountable for abuse of minors and other vulnerable people.
When we had this subscription to FORMED.org before we had approximately 150 parishioners who logged on at least once and hopefully more than that to enjoy what the Augustine Institute with its priests and trained lay instructors have to offer. Please give it a try and know that we will try to do better at recommending content from FORMED.org which will help us grow in our relationship with the Lord and His Church and inspire us hopefully share what we've experienced with others. Committing oneself to logging on and watching something at least once a week during the four week Advent season will hopefully start a habit that will continue long after Advent is over.
It is easy to log on the FORMED.org. After you go to this website, you will click the box that says sign-up. Hit the box that says, "Sign up as a parishioner" and then type into the next box our postal code, 71909. Under the box will appear our parish name. Click that and then on the next screen type in your name and e-mail address. Form there FORMED opens up and you start perusing the many offerings that are there. The hardest thing to do might be having to decide what to watch.
Since this Advent already promises to be unique because of COVID, I hope it will be unique in another way by all of us spending some time each week viewing offerings that will surely benefit us in our journey of faith! God bless you for trying out FORMED.org.
When we had this subscription to FORMED.org before we had approximately 150 parishioners who logged on at least once and hopefully more than that to enjoy what the Augustine Institute with its priests and trained lay instructors have to offer. Please give it a try and know that we will try to do better at recommending content from FORMED.org which will help us grow in our relationship with the Lord and His Church and inspire us hopefully share what we've experienced with others. Committing oneself to logging on and watching something at least once a week during the four week Advent season will hopefully start a habit that will continue long after Advent is over.
It is easy to log on the FORMED.org. After you go to this website, you will click the box that says sign-up. Hit the box that says, "Sign up as a parishioner" and then type into the next box our postal code, 71909. Under the box will appear our parish name. Click that and then on the next screen type in your name and e-mail address. Form there FORMED opens up and you start perusing the many offerings that are there. The hardest thing to do might be having to decide what to watch.
Since this Advent already promises to be unique because of COVID, I hope it will be unique in another way by all of us spending some time each week viewing offerings that will surely benefit us in our journey of faith! God bless you for trying out FORMED.org.
Some of us, I'm sure, remember the animated Christmas special entitled "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." If you know the storyline, perhaps you would agree with me that it should have rightly been entitled "How the Grinch TRIED to Steal Christmas" from the people in Whoville by sneaking into town one Christmas Eve and stealing all of the townspeople's material possessions including, of course, items connected with Christmas. As Christmas morning dawned the Grinch was shocked when he heard the church (or town's) bells ringing and the people of the town gathering and holding hands in a circle to welcome Christmas Day.
Given the coronavirus pandemic that has spiked once again with numbers of positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths rising, I dare say that not only Christmas but also Thanksgiving this year will not include townspeople or even family gathering together to hold hands in celebration and in prayer! Many families will wiselhy choose not to get together with extended family and friends this year. The question is, will the coronavirus and the threat it brings "steal" Thanksgiving and Christmas from us this year.
Hopefully the answer is a resounding "No" as many will find alternative ways to celebrate these holidays. Thankfully in this part of the country and world, we can in fact gather together on both of these special days without ever joining hands, but hopefully joining minds and heart to give thanks to God for all the blessings of the past, present and future (which are many) and at Christmas thank God for the most precious gift he gave to the world, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! St. Paul in his letter to the Romans (8:31b) asks and answers the question: "What will separate us from the love of Christ" by saying nothing can or will (including in our case the effects of a pandemic). That is something to always keep in mind, especially when we feel isolated or alone, and it is something we remind ourselves of at every Mass as Jesus comes to us in Word and in Sacrament (in the Eucharist).
This Thanksgiving Day, when our normal routine is thrown off to some or maybe a large extent, do what many do not routinely do on Thanksgiving Day, come to either the 9:00 a.m. Mass in Church or the 11:00 a.m. Mass in the parking lot and start a tradition that would be worth continuing long after the pandemic is over. Whether we ever go back to joing hands in church or not, our gathering together for the celebration of the Eucharist ALWAYS joins our hearts in love to the Lord AND to on another!!!
Given the coronavirus pandemic that has spiked once again with numbers of positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths rising, I dare say that not only Christmas but also Thanksgiving this year will not include townspeople or even family gathering together to hold hands in celebration and in prayer! Many families will wiselhy choose not to get together with extended family and friends this year. The question is, will the coronavirus and the threat it brings "steal" Thanksgiving and Christmas from us this year.
Hopefully the answer is a resounding "No" as many will find alternative ways to celebrate these holidays. Thankfully in this part of the country and world, we can in fact gather together on both of these special days without ever joining hands, but hopefully joining minds and heart to give thanks to God for all the blessings of the past, present and future (which are many) and at Christmas thank God for the most precious gift he gave to the world, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! St. Paul in his letter to the Romans (8:31b) asks and answers the question: "What will separate us from the love of Christ" by saying nothing can or will (including in our case the effects of a pandemic). That is something to always keep in mind, especially when we feel isolated or alone, and it is something we remind ourselves of at every Mass as Jesus comes to us in Word and in Sacrament (in the Eucharist).
This Thanksgiving Day, when our normal routine is thrown off to some or maybe a large extent, do what many do not routinely do on Thanksgiving Day, come to either the 9:00 a.m. Mass in Church or the 11:00 a.m. Mass in the parking lot and start a tradition that would be worth continuing long after the pandemic is over. Whether we ever go back to joing hands in church or not, our gathering together for the celebration of the Eucharist ALWAYS joins our hearts in love to the Lord AND to on another!!!