THE CORONAVIRUS – WHAT CAN WE DO? WE CAN PRAY!

On Monday March 16th, I received the announcement that I hoped would not happen, but somehow knew might be necessary. That morning I read these words, “Due to growing concerns and medical advice related to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in social settings, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger has announced that all regularly scheduled public Masses in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany – except weddings and funerals – will be canceled until further notice.”

The worldwide pandemic caused by the coronavirus brings about a crisis we are not familiar with. Normally, when we face a crisis situation, we tend to gather together as a community to comfort one another. Now we are told just the opposite. The way we can stop the spread of this virus is by staying home, and staying away from one another. We are even being told to keep between three and six feet of space between us. So what are we to do?

Bishop Scharfenberger gave us a great answer in his letter to all, dated March 13, 2020. The Bishop reminds us that we can make our homes a sacred space, and we can all pray. Our prayers can keep us together as a community of faith, even when we are physically apart. No matter what the circumstances are, we can always ask the Holy Spirit to protect and guide us during these difficult times.

My prayers will be for all of us, as we find ourselves in a crisis that seems to be evolving on a daily basis. With all of the information that is out there, both accurate and false information, we can easily become overwhelmed by uncertainty and fear. We might tend to be overly anxious and panic, and prayer can help us avoid those situations. Prayer can calm us, and give us the assurance that Jesus walks with us even when we feel so alone and afraid.

The Diocese of Albany is an excellent source that we can turn to for guidance. There are updates and resources on the diocesan web page @ rcda.org/coronavirus. In addition a Faith at Home page includes links to livestreamed Mass, daily Scripture readings, saints of the day, and suggestions for creating a sacred space at home. Just go to: rcda.org/coronavirus/resources.

So, let’s stay at home, and pray for each other.

God bless.
Deacon Chris

A PRAYER FOR DIVINE MERCY
 
     O greatly Merciful god, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to Your mercy— to Your compassion, O God: and it is with its mighty voice of misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth’s exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, who are acquainted with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power we cannot ascend to You, we implore You: anticipate us with Your grace and keep on increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will through our life and at death’s hour.
 
     Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield us from the darts of our salvation’s enemies, that we may with confidence, as Your children, await Your final coming—that day known to You alone. And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite of all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope: Through His merciful Heart as through an open gate we pass through to heaven. Amen.
 
     Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1570

The Daily Prayer for Priests
By St. Therese of the Child Jesus

O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
For your unfaithful and tepid priest;
For your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields.
For your tempted priests;
For your lonely and desolate priests;
For your young priests;
For the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
The priest who baptized me;
The priests who absolved me from my sins;
The priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
The priests who taught and instructed me;
All the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way (especially …)
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
And bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.

Amen.

I found this in a book written by Father Ronald Rolheiser titled, “Sacred Fire, A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity.”  This begins chapter six in the book which is titled, “Drawing Strength From Prayer.”  I think it is worth sharing.
Deacon Chris

The Difference
 
By Grace L. Naessens
 
I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish, I didn’t have time to pray.
 
Problems just tumbled about me and grew heavier with each task;
Why doesn’t God help me, I wondered; He answered, “You didn’t ask.”
 
I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me – He said, “But you didn’t seek.”
 
I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock.”
 
I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.

Prayer for Persecuted Christians
 
O God of all the nations,
the One God who is and was and always will be,
in your providence you willed that your Church
be united to the suffering of your Son.
Look with mercy on your servants
who are persecuted for their faith in you.
Grant them perseverance and courage
to be worthy imitators of Christ.
Bring your wisdom upon leaders of nations
to work for peace among all peoples.
May your Spirit open conversion
for those who contradict your will,
that we may live in harmony.
Give us the grace to be united in truth and freedom,
and to always seek your will in our lives.
 
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

I found this in the book, “Everything Starts from Prayer, St. Mother Teresa’s Meditations on Spiritual Life for People of All Faiths.” 
A good prayer to start our days.
God bless   
Deacon Chris

In the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta: 
“Wherever they are, the Missionaries of Charity start the day’s work with the same prayer from their community prayer book: 
 

MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY PRAYER

Dear Lord, the Great Healer, I kneel
before you, since every perfect gift
must come from you.  I pray, give skill to
my hands, clear vision to my mind,
kindness and meekness to my heart.
Give me singleness of purpose, strength
to lift up a part of the burden of my
suffering fellowmen, and a realization
of the privilege that is mine.  Take from
my heart all guile and worldliness, that
with the simple faith of a child, I may
Rely on you.
Amen.