Joshua 1:9 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

⁹ I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.

 

Daily Mass

With a rosary wrapped around her hand she always steps into the Adoration Chapel before Mass. I just know her as Joy. We always greet each other with broad smiles, never making small talk because we have church business to attend to. Joy and her husband are part of a community of daily Mass attendees. Ann-Marie sits three rows ahead of me, and Robert always sits directly in front of me. Virginia usually sits in the same row as me;  Mike, a tall Eucharistic Minister, sits almost in the last pew. Mike, Maria, Vickie and I and a handful of others are part of the 6:15 a.m. Eucharistic team. I miss Father John and Father Charles’ homilies, and Glen, who faithfully assists them during weekday Masses.

When I was sick with a cough earlier this year I did not give out communion. I tried to count how many of us attended daily Mass;  I lost count at 70. All religious institutions  are on a forced sabbatical; no Mass until God knows when. My heart aches because we are unable to receive communion, and I realize we are all suffering the same fate.

Stay-At-Home

Mike and I have taken the Stay-at-home advice from our governor seriously. We have not left our home in over a week. Last Monday, on March 16, before the announcement of the church closing, I went one last time to Adoration as I was scheduled from four to five that evening. Our son has been warning us for days not to go out at all. Our daughter Sonja has nicknamed him “Chicken Little” because his advice is the same for her as it is for us, Mikos is lovingly looking out for our well-being. As I was leaving I told Mike, “Please don’t tell the kids that I’m going to church!” Mike answered, “Ok, but can you swing by the El Pollo Loco drive-through to pick up some chicken?”  I was feeling a bit guilty, but I went anyway.  The doors to the church were swung open. The natural light clearly showed the reflection of fingerprints on the wooden pews, so before I sat down I took Clorox disinfecting wipes and cleaned the pew in front of me and the one behind me.  Before settling down to pray, I looked around to see who else was at Adoration. I counted seven persons; we were all spread apart. I prayed my usual prayers, but this time the burden of the world was on all of our shoulders. My prayers were fervent, and I felt the true comfort of the Lord the entire time I was there.

El Pollo Loco

I left the church refreshed and spirit-filled. Then it happened, my phone rang. I could see that it was our daughter Sonja. I touched  the screen to answer the call.  Her first question was,”Why are you in the car?” Sonja has a tracker on my phone because I spend so much time with her kids. I could feel the blood rush to my face; my throat dried up when I nervously answered, “I went to Adoration!  Please don’t tell your brother!” “Mom, just go home,” she replied. I didn’t dare tell her I was on my way to El Pollo Loco. Then all of a sudden, while I was waiting in the drive-through, I felt my body temperature rising. My forehead felt warmer than usual. Then I started to cough, not just any cough, but a dry cough. I told myself, “I just need to hydrate .” I took some water and started to chug it, but the water got all over my blouse. “Oh my God! Did I get this virus?” By the time I finally reached the window, I had written myself  off as a goner.

When I got home, I quietly placed the bag of chicken on the counter. Another cough! I sanitized my hands and grabbed my phone. I remembered seeing a post about the early warning signs of the coronavirus and what we needed to do: gargle with vinegar, warm water and salt.  As soon as Mike went to bed I did just that. My self-talk was a rambling dialogue of panic! “Should I sleep with Mike? If I do, we will both be doomed! Should I tell him?” I fell asleep praying. This is a perfect example on how panic sets in, and how our mind runs away with imagination, taking it to new levels of anxiety. Since then I have not gone out.

My Grandkids

The hardest part of this Stay-At-Home order is not seeing our grandchildren. On March 19th, we celebrated the 8th birthday of our youngest grandson Jacob. Mike and I had already purchased a gift for him, and Sonja was going to drop off some Chick-fil-A and pick up the gift. The boys wanted to see us. From a good distance we greeted them. Then I lost it and started crying; I cried a good cry. Later I pulled myself together through prayer.

The Holy Spirit gave me a great idea on how to stay connected with all four of my grandkids. For the past week we have been FaceTime praying. I miss their humor because all of my grandchildren are funny. It makes a big difference in our lives to get together like this. The boys impose funny faces over their heads, some not so appropriate. Right before Maddie  joins the conversation, her brother accuses her of being unholy. The four of them have been so gracious in praying at 3 o’clock. After this delightful phone call, I pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

My Prayer:

Dear Lord, we are all anxious  and pray for this to pass. Just as You did for the Israelites, pass over our household, and keep us safe from this virus. Lord, nothing is impossible for You. We trust in You and know that You will see us through this. We pray for all doctors and nurses and every hospital’s employees. We pray for every person who is tirelessly working in the grocery stores, and for food manufacturers and delivery personnel. We pray for the scientists who are working to find a cure for this virus. We pray for people like my sister Norma, who works in an assisted living facility, and for her daughter Maggie, who is a social worker for the elderly. And for all others, our son Mikos included, who must work to keep this nation afloat. Keep them healthy, Father, and give them special protection and graces to continue to do their jobs. I pray for all those who have been temporarily laid off or who have lost their jobs. Lord, provide for the needs of Your people! Amen.

Last Tuesday evening our son Mikos called. The phone call was in regard to a conversation he had with a doctor friend of his. The message was how Mike and I needed to be careful and what we can do to prevent from getting the COVID-19. Mike was already in bed, so he had a restful night’s sleep. Not me, I was anxious and turned on the news. The overly dramatic reporting was about the single-digit headcount of how many people had been infected. I finally turned off the doomsday messages and went to bed. Mikos asked me if we were prepared. “Prepared for what? ” I answered. Mikos said “Mom, if either you or dad get sick you’re going to need supplies.” That was my last thought as I got into bed; needless to say, I could not sleep.

The Rosary

I fumbled in the dark, looking for my rosary that I keep on my nightstand, I clutched it and started to pray. I prayed for any fear to leave me and not to be anxious about this ever-changing virus. Throughout the prayer I kept receiving the word “repent, repent.” I asked God to forgive me of any hidden transgressions on my behalf. Then I prayed the Rosary with special intentions, dedicating each decade for God to intervene against this virus, and for the remission of all of our sins. Finally around 3:30 a.m. I fell asleep. As prayerful and faithful as I attempt to be, I got so caught up in the snares of all the negative news and the sensationalism of the virus that it caused me to stumble. I’m happy to report that from this day forth, I will thank God for my health on a daily basis. Today is a new day, nothing has improved with the situation. As a matter of fact, it’s escalated from bad to worse; but I remain faithful and concentrate on keeping my eyes on God. I would imagine that this pandemic has changed a lot of us. We are all praying more, and asking God to help us. We are in this together, in these turbulent times  that we all have to get through. The  Rosary prayers are all found in the Bible, the Apostles’ Creed is found in all four Gospels, The Magnificat (the Hail Mary) can be found in Luke 1:42-48, and the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples, is found in Matthew 6:9-13. We should all be in prayer. The Rosary is a powerful means of prayer. At three o’clock I will be praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet; this too, is a powerful prayer, asking Jesus to have mercy on us and the whole world. You can google the prayer, so please join the thousands who are praying this prayer at three o’clock.

Leah

My niece Leah was visiting from Arizona last  week. She and her kids were staying at a hotel near Disneyland. They had planned to visit the park for three days. The weather was favorable for the first two visits, but on Thursday it rained; it rained bad news too. The coronavirus was declared a global pandemic, and, shortly after that, it was announced that Disneyland was closing down the park effective Saturday. I knew Leah and her children were at the park, and, in concern for them, I texted her to inform her of the closing. I also thought it odd that Disneyland would make this drastic announcement. I got suspicious and wanted Leah and the kids out of there. Poor Leah was getting text messages to evacuate from her father at the same time. Between the two of us we upset her so much that she thought she was coming down with the virus. I am so sorry for overreacting and making matters worse, but I wanted them to be safe.

Supplies

I believe that God will supply all of our needs, because He said he would.

Philippians 4:19 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

¹⁹ My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Mike always makes sure we have plenty of supplies, but we were a little low on toilet paper. I needed to make my normal run to Sprouts for my Ezekiel bread. Much to my disbelief, I found three packages of green, environmentally safe toilet paper there on the shelf,. Without giving it a second thought I grabbed them and put them in my cart. Another shopper came by and said, “Are you taking them all? I just need one pack?” I quickly took one out and placed it in her cart. So now as part of my supplies, I have the smallest rolls of toilet paper ever.  I do not plan to go out and hunt down more supplies because I trust God for all of my provisions. For those who trust the Lord, our supplies will never run dry.

1 Kings 17:14-16 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

¹⁴ For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.” ¹⁵ She left and did as Elijah had said. She had enough to eat for a long time—he and she and her household. ¹⁶ The jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord spoken through Elijah.

Ashes and Sackcloth

Have you ever heard of the Castel Sant’Angelo? This castle is located near the Vatican. Perched on top of the castle is a statue of St. Michael the Archangel.

In 590 A.D. Europe suffered a great plague; more than 100 million people died as a result. Pope Gregory the Great pleaded for the intercession of St. Michael to help fight this epidemic. Because the plague continued to ravage the city of Rome, Pope Gregory ordered a procession of people reciting litanies to go around the city. The procession included a Miraculous image of Our Lady, painted by St. Luke. Before long the air was cleaned of it’s impurities. Those in the procession heard angels singing around the Virgin’s image. The participants all saw St. Michael standing atop the castle, putting his bloody sword into his sheath. In gratitude Pope Gregory had a statue of St. Michael placed on top of the castle. This victory revealed that the Lord ended the plague, protecting Rome and the Church.

Prayer to St. Michael

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.  May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

We all need to get on our knees and pray. Prayer will change the course of these turbulent times. Join me in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 o’clock every day! Plead the Blood of Jesus over your doorpost so the Angel of Death will pass your home (Passover).

My Prayer:

Dear Lord, with fear and trembling we fall to our knees. We understand that you have allowed this chastisement for the direction we have taken as a nation. We have permitted sin to rule the world. We ask You to protect us and our household. We plead the Blood of Jesus over our country and the rest of the world. Lord, reveal all offenses that we committed against You. Open our hearts to forgive to allow us to live in peace. Lord, we are here to do Your will! God Bless America and the rest of the world!

This week we celebrate the second Sunday of Lent. I have kept my abstinence, and am truly amazed by this wonderful accomplishment. This is what I consider a conversion, a great change to train the mind and spirit into submission.

We all have a pass; my direction in life led me in a path of wonderment. Desiring to become a radical feminist in the late 60’s and early 70’s has helped me in understanding what my real purpose in life is and how to redirect my passion. I was like the Apostle Paul. I left the Catholic Church for a season, and became a born-again Christian. I was hell-bent on converting all Catholics to come to the right side of God. All I knew was that I was on fire for God, I was hungry for more and more knowledge. In my quest to find answers, I decided to re-enroll in college. I wanted a Christian-based college, and my radio was always tuned in to a Christian station. Biola University was announcing a special  BS (Bachelor of Science) to be completed in two years, providing you already had an AA. If I had been Catholic at the time, Biola would have never accepted my application; so in hindsight this was part of God’s plan for my growth. The classes I took opened my already curious mind to the Word of God. Classes like eschatology and hermeneutics were my favorite.

Saul

After his conversion Saul’s Hebrew name was changed to Paul. Saul was a highly educated Pharisee, taught by the best, Rabbi Gamaliel. Saul, hated all Christians, and what they represented. Saul wanted to put an end to all this Christian nonsense once and for all. He was prepared to kill, if necessary, to stop this fast-spreading Jesus movement. I wanted to convert anyone who crossed my path. I was like Saul, using God as a tool to bring others to the faith. My conversion was not as dramatic as Saul’s, but I definitely was going through a conversion. I was so naive and awkward in my deliverance, that at times I came across as a “Jesus Freak.” That did not bother me because my obstinance had not yet been revealed. It was a long, lonely road in which I alienated honest-to-goodness friends because they were not ready for all the Jesus rhetoric. My insistent Bible beating over their heads did not help either. I was too cool to hang out with any anyone who was not like me (more on that later). I created my own rapture, getting caught up in holiness, and I was not going to leave anyone behind. Saul and I rode on the same horse into Damascus. When Saul was knocked off his horse, he heard the voice of Jesus. When I was knocked off my horse, I knew that God had called me back into the Catholic Church.

Acts 9:3-5 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

³ On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” ⁵ He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Paul

Paul was born to Jewish parents. His father possessed a much sought after Roman citizenship, which by birth gave Paul the same privileges. He, like his father, was a Pharisee; he was intelligent beyond his years, understood the Old Testament and lived by its rules. Though he was born six years after Jesus, they never crossed paths. Paul was very aware of Jesus and was threatened by the beliefs that would contest his training. All his education, his background as a Pharisee, and his Roman citizenship all would play an important role for his ministry. Paul was a tentmaker by trade. With Roman soldiers having to serve for 20 years and traveling from Rome throughout all Asia Minor, tents had to be readily available. Paul could travel with a few necessary tools and use his trade to help him finance his missionary trips.

The Apostle Paul was beheaded in Rome. At the site of his martyrdom a church was built, St. Paul at the Three Fountains or San Paolo alle Tre Fontane (Italian). When Paul was decapitated, his head bounced three times; at place where his head landed springs of water appeared, hence, the name three fountains.

Philippians 3:4-6 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

⁴ although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he can be confident in flesh, all the more can I. ⁵ Circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee,⁶ in zeal I persecuted the church, in righteousness based on the law I was blameless.

In everything that we experience, God is training us to do our ministry. While at Biola University, I learned to love the Word of God. I have such great appreciation and respect for my fellow Protestant Christian brothers and sisters that serve God in this capacity. But God called me back into the Catholic Church. At first I questioned the decision, but it did not take long to fall back in love with my Catholic roots. The Eucharist was what I longed for in the desert of my journey.

Of the 27 New Testament books 14 are attributed to Paul.  Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon were all written while Paul was in prison in Rome. Through his four missionary trips, Paul spread the gospel changing the world and solidifying Jesus’ ministry.

Nancy

Nancy was a true friend that I alienated because of my first conversion. As a baby Christian, I certainly messed up things between us. I should have been there for my sweet friend when she was going through her divorce, but because she was not a Christian I cut ties with her. I will always regret this behavior and pray that she has forgiven me. Like Paul, I was an arrogant follower of God, with a Pharisaical religious spirit. This behavior had nothing to do with my new found religion; it was mostly an attitude I developed on my own. Thanks to the Lord, a good dose of humility brought me back down from the high horse I was riding on. I look back on this episode of my life as part of training on how not to behave. I still exchange Christmas cards with Nancy and pray that one day she will understand how crude and foolish my actions were toward her, and forgive me.

My Prayer

Dear Jesus, help us all to convert. With the guidance of Your Holy Spirit, continue to teach and direct us into the ministry we are called to. I pray for all souls who have not come to the realization of their existence. Lord, work miracles in their lives and bring them into Your sheepfold. Lord there is a total peace in knowing You, put it in the hearts of the lost to desire this peace. Lord protect us all from the coronavirus, and heal those who are suffering from the effects of this illness. Amen