Churches are Suspending the Mass. But Jesus Will Come to Us in Other Ways.

Heavenly Father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in atonement for my sins and those of the whole world. 

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is suspending public celebration of the mass through Easter. The Diocese of Arkansas did the same thing several days ago. Other dioceses all over the world are doing the same. 

I feel as if a light has gone out.

Correction. 

I feel as if the light has gone out. 

But feelings aren’t necessarily facts. They are just feelings. Emotions. 

The Light shines in the darkness just as it always has. Jesus Christ is the same, today, yesterday and forever. 

More than my personal sense of loss when I hear that our churches here in Oklahoma City will not be having mass, I feel the loss of the One Who can unite us. 

Jesus Christ did not die for Americans. He did not die for the Jews. Or the Chinese. Or for men. Or women. He died for all of us. 

That is the message of this Lent of 2020. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, of all people, everywhere, of all creation. 

The political heresy that many of our fallen religious leaders continue to preach right into the teeth of this storm  has nothing whatsoever to do with Jesus Christ Who came to save the world. They are preaching and teaching a picayune, nasty little false god who not only can not save us, but who leads us into our doom.

How does a Catholic be Catholic without the Eucharist? How do we see the Light when the mass is closed to us?

We look to Jesus, lifted up on the cross. 

We trust Him and know that if we can’t partake of Him in the Eucharist, He will come to us in other ways. 

Never, never, never think that God has deserted you. 

No matter how bleak you may feel, or how perilous your path, He is always there. 

I have been through some things in my life. I can tell you as a lived reality and certainty that you can count on and never doubt that He will not abandon you. If everyone else turns their backs on you, He will be your consolation. 

The mass is a gift. The Eucharist is a direct conduit of grace, a moment of connection with the Infinite. 

But the same Jesus is always with you, always available. The ultimate sacrament is His love for us that is freely available at any time, in any place. 

Corrie ten Boom said it very well. “There is no pit so deep that He is not there.” 

Pray the Rosary. Pray the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. 

Talk to Him. Confide in Him. Trust Him. 

And do not be afraid. 

We are facing serious problems. The virus and the economy have us in a vice. Nothing that we are doing is sustainable. But we will walk through this time and out into the other side. 

Do not be afraid. You have no reason to be afraid. You are a child of the Living God, a citizen of the heavenly kingdom. 

So rejoice and be glad. Be calm and full of faith. 

Because Jesus loves you.