Several parishioners have wondered when things will go back to normal.  I don't know.  They may then wonder about a new normal.  How about we look a little deeper?  It seems to me that we have a desire for stability.  Currently, daily Mass and Sunday Mass are stable.  We've made great progress with funerals.  Today's funeral was stable.

     In order to remain stable, we need to be flexible and make adjustments as needed.

     Here's an example.  After three months of training, my running is now stable.  I can run for one hour and maintain the same pace.  In order to do so, I need to make adjustments while running.  My heart rate is relatively low for the first six minutes.  It then jumps and gradually increases throughout the rest of my run.  I could maintain a faster pace if I maintain a faster heart rate, but I risk injury and/or exhaustion.

     Similarly, we've been reopening St. John's in a very unusual way.  Many people are adapting and making adjustments and improvements.  Lately, I've noticed increased stress among staff and volunteers.  And we have had scheduling conflicts due to funerals and will have more due to other events.  As a result, we're making a few adjustments to our schedule as follows:

     First, the Saturday confessions are moving from 2-4 PM to 4-5 PM.  We need the 2 PM time slot for First Holy Communions, confirmations, baptisms, and weddings.

     Second, the many funerals have been interfering with our Church Open for Private Prayer times of 10-2, M-F.  Starting tomorrow, our church will be open for private prayer only from 2-4 PM, Monday through Friday.  The 10 AM and 12 Noon times slots will be reserved for funerals and church cleaning.

     The 2-4 PM time slot corresponds to our first set of confessions Mon, Tue, and Wed.  Penitents may enter the church for private prayer to examine their conscience.  They can then go outside my rectory window for confession.  Then, they may enter the church to do their penance.  I also note that the the 3-4 PM hour is known as the Divine Mercy Hour.  It seems like a fitting time for confession.

     Besides the scheduling conflicts, I also want to keep our staff and volunteers safe as well as reduce their stress level.

     We now have a schedule where there will be few conflicts.  It's a more stable schedule.  The one remaining conflict is the Anointing of the Sick.  If I'm called away for an emergency anointing, I may not be available for confession during part of the confession times.

     Hopefully, our striving for stability with flexibility will help everyone feel more at peace in the midst of the chaos going on around us.  May God fill us with His peace.

     A friend of mine posted a link to an interesting website:  https://covidactnow.org.  It shows how quickly COVID-19 is spreading through the United States, each state, and each county.  While the coronavirus is declining in New Jersey, it's spreading slowly in Ocean County.  Information like this can help ease our fears and prompt us to take reasonable precautions.

     It's Tuesday and time to pray for one another's intentions.  Click on the Reply button to add your own.  Here are a few to get us started:

1)  For all the states and counties where the coronavirus is surging, may the people be protected and the sick healed.

2)  For our staff and volunteers, may they be kept safe as they continue to make gifts of themselves.

3)  For all those who died recently, may they soon see Jesus face to face.  May their families be consoled.

4)  For our bishop and his assistants, that they may continue to help our parishes navigate the pandemic.

5)  For all restaurants still restricted, may they be able to continue to weather the lack of business.

God love you,

Fr. Jim