But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people...stood up and said “…For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:34,38-39)

Well isn’t this a fine mess we have gotten ourselves into.  Church reservations, communion in cars, Penance in tents, masks at Mass, no singing, no worship aids, oh I could go on.  But what more can I say -  that’s the state that we are in.  So, what are we going to do about it?   Jesus says: “Come to me for my burden is light,” “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened…. Be humble, gentle.” If you are tired of carrying these heavy burdens unload them on him.  It is what the cross of Christ is all about.  At the cross he took, the church reservations, the communion in cars – all of it.  He is here with us. He is offering us solace.  He has taken on our burdens already – so let’s let Him have them (stop giving them and then taking them back).

For a little while the church is in flux, yet it remains the same. A place of worship, a place of comfort, a place where we can shut out the world and what is happening and come in faith and truth to the one True God – Jesus Christ. Yesterday, today and tomorrow – always the same.  The church has not changed we are just adapting to circumstances beyond our control.   And yet, we are adapting. Our Church is here for us, it is where we can bring our burdens and our joys.

We are the church. You and I. We are the body of Christ here on earth. We must be vigilant, we must pray and worship, we must seek Him each day and we must remain together. We also must take care of our neighbors. Yes, the Church is a human institution but created with a divine component to be sure which assures us that that it will remain endlessly. The Church will not perish and we will continue to see this mess we are in as an opportunity and not a punishment, not a disaster. 

Though for a little while we are separated, we will come back together. This is not the first time the Church has been through change. While worship is different, never forget that we do worship and that we worship in spirit and truth no matter what obstacles stand in our way. Come join us – either live streamed or in person.

I can suggest a video from Formed –St. Ignatius of Loyola, he was a rebel who loved the Church and saw fit to use his gifts to assist her. I think we can learn something from him.

Luther nailed his theses to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517. Seventeen years later, Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society that was to play so prominent a part in the Catholic Reformation (now that was a difficult time for the Church). He was an implacable foe of Protestantism. Yet the seeds of ecumenism may be found in his words: “Great care must be taken to show forth orthodox truth in such a way that if any heretics happen to be present they may have an example of charity and Christian moderation. No hard words should be used nor any sort of contempt for their errors be shown.”