Author: The Anchorite

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Quarantine and Acedia

Our soul waits for the Lord,
  who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us
  who have put our hope in you.   Psalm 33:20, 22

Here in the State of Maine, it has been five weeks since public Masses were suspended.  It has been three weeks since Governor Mills issued a stay-at-home order for the residents of Maine.  Some people are working at home.  Others who have “essential” jobs continue to go in to work.  Still others have lost their jobs, at least for the time being. For Catholics, we find that our weekly routines have changed.  Going to Mass on Sundays is no longer on the schedule.  Masses are live-streamed from many parishes, and efforts are being made to reach out to people in various ways.

Early on, when all this was new, some people (at least) may have felt some excitement about it.  There may have been the novelty of seeing our parish church and our pastor celebrating Mass on TV or on one of our digital devices.  But the novelty has worn off, at least for some.  I hear of a growing hunger for the Eucharist itself, a feeling that “this can’t go on indefinitely”, a desire to go to Mass and celebrate the sacraments.  Some people now find the live-streamed Masses insufficient.  A few even say that they prefer the emptiness of not watching Mass than the sense that watching Mass may give them that “everything is okay”. Continue reading “Quarantine and Acedia”

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Thomas

Divine Mercy Sunday (A)

 

We end the Octave of Easter, most fittingly, with the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday.  Here we celebrate the immense, incalculable mercy of the Risen Lord which is offered to us in so many ways every single day.  Last year at this time, my post focused on this Divine Mercy, with some reflection on the Apostle Thomas at the end.  This time, I will focus on Thomas and offer a way of looking at him which, I pray, will shed some interesting light on our own journey of faith, as individuals and, most importantly, as a People of God.

The Gospel reading for Divine Mercy Sunday is always John 20:19-31. It is John’s account of the Risen Jesus’ first appearance to His disciples after His Resurrection, and of a second appearance a week later.  This is the account that gave rise to the nickname “Doubting Thomas”. Continue reading “Thomas”

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Prophecy Gone Viral

Easter Sunday 2020

 

Before COVID-19 appeared, cancer was the frightening “c”-word. To hear that diagnosis felt, to many, like a death sentence, even if the prognosis wasn’t that at all.  Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States die of cancer every year.  Many more survive.  Many of you have been directly touched by cancer, either in yourself or in your loved ones. Continue reading “Prophecy Gone Viral”

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Autism in the Pandemic: When We Don’t Conform

The following post was written by Aimée O’Connell, founder of the Mission of Saint Thorlak – which is now found at autismconsecrated.com.  I am also very involved with that website.  It seeks to support ministry both by and for autistic people, guided by the Way of Saint Thorlak.  Please feel free to browse that site. I offer this post here because I believe it will be encouraging for autistic people who follow my blog.  I hope it may be enlightening for people who seek to understand and love their autistic sisters and brothers. Continue reading “Autism in the Pandemic: When We Don’t Conform”

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Palm Sunday

Recently, the Catholic News Agency ran this article which featured a Maine parish and its pastor.  The gist of the article was this: because we cannot distribute blessed palms to the faithful on Palm Sunday, the pastor of that parish suggested that people obtain pine branches instead and call it “Pine Sunday”. This idea generated several responses in my own mind, and also helped me focus on a theme for this reflection on Palm Sunday. Continue reading “Palm Sunday”