Monday Musings
It's a Short Week, HOORAY!
Entering Holy Week
It is a short week before a well deserved Easter Break so remember to reach out to your teachers, wish them well, ask them questions, and continue to thrive in our remote learning environment!
Don't forget to join our parishes throughout Holy Week and support them as they support us!
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THE FEBRUARY EARLY ENROLLMENT OFFERS WILL BE HONORED THROUGH MAY 30th!
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From the Office of the Superintendent
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” You will hear this responsorial psalm when you join in one of the many live-streamed Masses for Palm Sunday from your own parish or from the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (www.dioceseofcleveland.org 9:30 am Sunday morning). These words have provided a powerful reflection for me, especially as we continue to unfold the restrictions of the Ohio Stay at Home Order, social distancing, and the basic cessation of our daily routine. The coronavirus has many asking the question of where is God in all this. I have been amazed how the Lord seems to have done the opposite with me. I do not feel abandoned at all but rather filled with great hope.
Do not get me wrong, the limitations and devastation the virus has caused on society and individual and family lives is overwhelming, but God has revealed himself so clearly to me through this. Today I went for a walk along a path that leads to Lake Erie. It was a beautiful day and the path was filled with old and young, families and individuals all enjoying the outdoors, the beauty of creation and one another. I sat on a bench that overlooked a small body of water and wetlands. While sitting there a bunch of turtles were out on everything that allowed them to soak up the sun. The carp were jumping out of the water as part of their generative instincts looking to fertilize larva. Birds were singing and the waves flowed back and forth off the small beach. Creation seemed to care less about the virus.
As I sat there, I was thinking of my own life. I have been deeply impacted by the interruption of the virus. I put together 28 to do things I want to get done. One of them was to call folks I have not talked to in a while. I cleaned and rearranged my bookshelf and have started reading a book called Journal of a Soul, the life of Pope John XXIII, which has been on my reading pile for many years. I have had time for more prayer, less running around and more sleep. I have been averaging 7-8 hours of sleep instead of my normal 3-5 hours. I have been busy with video conferences, teleconferences and processing paperwork. However, I have been doing it with an incredible spirit of calm. Why, because, I have surrendered everything to the Lord. I can’t control the virus, I can’t control what restrictions the government chooses to implement, I can’t control the fact that we aren’t able to gather for Sunday Mass. I’ve turned this all over to the Lord and he has filled me with calm and peace. I have asked for the grace and courage to do what is best for the Church and her people and so far he has been very faithful.
As Jesus speaks these words to the Father in his passion, he reveals the intimacy he shares with God and his ultimate trust that we will celebrate in Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. His trust in the will of the Father allows him to pray while hanging on the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”. He prays for those who crucified him. What a great example for all of us. To totally surrender all our worries, our pains, our anxieties, our concerns about our employment, our health, our comfort, surrender all these things to the Father and trust that he will provide for us and keep us safe. This is the mystery of faith. It is our faith and we are called to embrace it even now in the midst of our current turmoil.
I pray that you will use this upcoming Holy Week as a time to reflect upon how God blesses you. Think about the things that really bother you and ask God to free you from them and trust in him. God has not abandoned us but rather God carries us through troubled waters and leads us to the blessing of eternal life. Nothing in this world can compare to the glory of heaven. Keep that in mind and pray that God hear our prayers and helps us to learn important lessons right before us.
Know that you and your loved ones remain in my prayers. I will be offering Easter Sunday Mass for all of you. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication as well as your cooperation and flexibility during these difficult days.
Happy Holy Week!
Fr. Don