Last Sunday, I cursed Father Bennet’s name! I remember him from when I was a seminarian. He was a larger than life character with decided opinions on everything. He actually made me look quiet and reserved by comparison! It’s not because of that, but the ivy. Tom planted ivy in the courtyard when he was here. It has spread everywhere. I spent the afternoon ripping ivy out from the door trim near my bedroom. It had begun to creep into the jam and block the exit. It was in the wood and in the brick. It got into the expansion joint and was entrenched in the flower bed. Just when I thought I had it all, other roots or vines were there. I managed to clean things up, but I know it’s still there. I may have worked hard, but there will be some little bit of it left that will sprout and pop out again. The battle will continue! Thank God for the custodians who help me out there! My combat with the ivy reminds me of sin. I know that I work to root it out of my life, and things may look pretty good for a while; however, there’s always something there I missed. Maybe I work on patience, then I end up in a situation that grates on every nerve. I may work on controlling my colorful language, and then I just slip up when speaking to a friend. I might try to control envy, and then I see something the makes that fly out the window. Despite all my efforts, I know there are elements that I have not touched that will come back to bother me. It’s just as pervasive and persistent as the ivy.
While I know I will lose the battle with sin, Christ has won it for me! If it were just me, I would be doomed. The Lord is forgiving and patient. Jesus gives me help to root it out of my life, the ability to see more clearly where it may sprout again, and the assistance to attack it. The Holy Spirit comes to empower me in the battle to endure. I don’t have to face this task alone. While I have a custodial staff to help with the war on ivy, I have a loving God to help me with sin. It is wonderful knowing I have Salvation at hand to overcome being mired in the tangle of sin and despair
May 17, 2019
My dear friends,
The sun was shining brightly on a spring afternoon as the snow fell upon the ground. That was the scene outside my window last Saturday. Nature seemed as uncertain about what’s happening as we were. What’s the day or date? Can we go outside or not? It’s a time of uncertainty and confusion. Despite all that, I knew what day it was. It was my birthday. The German chocolate cake on the table was proof of that! Social distancing or not, the day arrived. Time was not standing still and the seasons were passing, even if we had trouble coming to grips with that. Trust me; time is passing, and things are still progressing.
As we get closer to the May 20th deadline set to come out of our quarantine, we wonder what that means. We are a bit uncertain as to how things will open. The governor and public health officials are trying to share that information. It looks like business will reopen, but the number of people will be limited to at least half the capacity. Restaurants will reopen, but possibly only for outdoor seating. When will theaters and concerts begin? School will remain closed, and spring sports have been cancelled, but can other events go forward? All these questions remain.
The questions about reopening churches is also a topic under consideration. There is some talk of allowing religious services, but limiting the capacity to 50 people. We exceed that number for some daily Masses, so what does that mean for us? As I write this, the Archdiocese of Hartford and other religious institutions are collaborating with the state and health directors to put forward a plan for reopening churches. It’s far from set, but they are seeking a solution. Once a plan is presented, I will inform you of that as soon as possible.
Given the changes coming, I think we will probably be able to offer something. We will probably be opening the church daily from 9:00 AM through 3:00 PM , Starting May 25th for quiet prayer time. There may be times in there we need to close down for the custodians to service, but we ought to be able to have the church available. (Beyond the stay at home order, we have had issues with the heat in the church for the past two months, and it should be warm enough by then to not be an issue.) As far as any service, we will wait for guidance on how that will commence
When we get permission, we will be contacting the families of our deceased parishioners to begin scheduling memorial Masses. As far as rescheduling First Reconciliation, Frist Holy Communion, or Confirmation, it is looking like those will move to the fall. It will be an awkward time of transition when public liturgies commence; I just ask now for everyone’s patience and cooperation. Archbishop Blair may also continue lifting the obligation to attend Sunday Mass for the first month or so after reopening to ease the burden. I will try to keep you informed as quickly as I can about all coming changes.
I continue to pray for the health and wellbeing of you all. You may feel cooped up and stuck in limbo, but time is indeed passing. We will get back to church again, and I look forward to that day!