My Dearly Beloved Parishioners of St. Brieux and Kinistino,
I hope and pray that everybody is well and safe. I also hope that this time of isolation and quarantine, we all have something that we can be busy with. Besides praying and reflecting, it is also good to do other activities like exercising, cooking, reading, watching
movies or working on some projects. I suggest that we also take time to deepen and learn more about our faith. If you are interested to know more about FATIMA apparition, I suggest you watch Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR’s videos on YouTube. The title is: “Heaven’s Peace Plan”. I believe. It has lots to say about what’s going on today.
Now I’m going to our weekly reflection which is on the fifth and last Sunday of Lent. The readings for this fifth Sunday are normally read at funerals. They are inspiring messages and they give us a sense of hope. I believe this is the kind of message we want to hear in these very trying times, when we are dealing with uncertainty, anxiety, stress, sadness for those who have lost a loved one and worries about many things related to this situation. Basically, the readings tell us of one thing, that we are not in control. It is God
who is in control because it’s only Him who could open the graves and have people rise from them, that is from the first reading(Ezekiel). It is only Him who can restore life as we read in the Gospel, the story of Lazarus(John). Somehow, the message of Jesus in the Gospel resonates with our situation. Jesus said: “this illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Although, it is not the same with our case because thousands have already died and hundreds of thousands are sick and suffering from this virus. But what does it tell us? It leads us to the fact that without Him, we can do nothing. God is in control and not us. In one instance, the world can turn upside down. There’s nothing the world can do given the immensity of a crisis situation. Maybe this is God’s way of saying come back to me, believe in me, serve me and I will put life in you. This is St. Paul’s message to the Romans in the second reading. In this way Jesus is to be glorified because all life comes
from Him. His Spirit dwelling in us is what makes us aspire for righteousness and holiness. Jesus’ message then, is challenging us to continue glorifying God in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad and finally, through our words and deeds. We continue to put our faith in Him who has the power to take life and to restore it.
Amen.
Blessings,
Fr. George