This post was provided by Father Desmond Drummer

excerpt from the

Litany of Supplication

from the Moment of Prayer with Pope Francis

on March 27, 2020

An excerpt of the Litany of Supplication is posted below. The full text of the Litany was released on Sunday, March 29 on the Vatican news media website. 

Open us to hope, O Lord

Should sin oppress us

Open us to hope, O Lord

Should hatred close our hearts

Open us to hope, O Lord

Should sorrow visit us

Open us to hope, O Lord

Should indifference cause us anguish

Open us to hope, O Lord

Should death overwhelm us

Open us to hope, O Lord

Follow Pope Francis and news from throughout the global Catholic Church on the Vatican news media website.

This post was provided by Earline Brown

excerpt from

7 Ways God Is Moving in the Midst of a Global Pandemic

by Kia Stephens (iBelieve.com)

I grabbed my gloves and face mask before heading to the grocery store. My focus was on getting groceries without catching COVID 19. To the best of my ability, I was attempting to hold on to some semblance of control.

Upon arriving at my destination I soon realized, I was not alone. There were others just like me, wearing gloves and masks while attempting to maintain the mandated social distance. It felt like a strange new sense of normalcy: one we are reluctant to accept.

None of us could have anticipated this new normal: major events canceled, businesses closed and schools suspended indefinitely. In less than a year’s time, our entire world has changed, leaving us steeped in uncertainty about the future.

As many Christians pray for relief and healing, some may question the existence of God amidst this global pandemic. They may wonder how a loving God could allow so much death and hardship. While I cannot answer why, I can say God is not absent or oblivious to our plight. He is moving among us during this time.

Here are 7 of the countless ways God is at work in the midst of a global pandemic:

1. GOD is Moving Through the Widespread Sharing of the Gospel 

2. GOD is Moving by Impacting our Schedules

3. GOD is Moving by Showing the Need to Forgive

4. GOD is Moving by Strengthening Families

5. GOD is Moving by Building Our Faith

6. GOD is Moving Through the Kindness of Others

7. GOD is Moving by Granting Us Peace

Read the full reflection on iBelieve.com.

Learn more about Kia Stephens.  

This post was provided by Lauren Morton

Self-Isolation

by Lauren Morton

I reject the idea of boredom.

I reject the idea of needing to fill every second of my day

I reject the idea that if my schedule isn’t packed I’m wasting my time

I reject the fact that everything in life has to be immediate

I reject that inspiration is found scrolling through social media for a life that isn’t mine

I embrace that joy is found in the silence

I embrace that the silence allows me to heal

I embrace that healing allows me to start the path of moving forward

Moving forward to an inspiration that is God

Lauren Morton is a parishioner at Most Blessed Sacrament. 

This post was provided by Father Desmond Drummer

excerpt from

Meditation on Mark 4:35-41 

by Pope Francis

On Friday, March 27, Pope Francis offered a special "Urbi et orbi" (to the city and world) message and blessing. After the text of Mark 4:35-41 was chanted by a cantor, Pope Francis delivered a sublime meditation on the Gospel text in the light of what communities around the world are experiencing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The full text of the meditation is available on the Vatican's news media website. An excerpt of the pope's meditation is provided below:

"In the face of so much suffering, where the authentic development of our peoples is assessed, we experience the priestly prayer of Jesus: 'That they may all be one' (John 17:21). How many people every day are exercising patience and offering hope, taking care to sow not panic but a shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday gestures, how to face up to and navigate a crisis by adjusting their routines, lifting their gaze and fostering prayer. How many are praying, offering and interceding for the good of all. Prayer and quiet service: these are our victorious weapons."

Full video with English language translation and commentary:

This post was provided by Rhonda Haney

excerpt from

Faith Over Fear

by David Villa

Faith is easy to find when you have calm waters and clear skies. It’s when the clouds come in that Christians begin to struggle with their faith. It is when the water begins to get choppy and the wind starts blowing that faith starts to falter.

Have unwavering faith! Know that whatever is going on in your life has already been planned out. God has you covered.

To read more from David Villa, visit his blog. 

This post was provided by Clarissa Brome

Untitled

by Kitty O'Meara

And the people stayed home.

And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still.

And listened more deeply.

Some meditated, some prayed, some danced.

Some met their shadows.

And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed.

And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

To learn more about Kitty O'Meara and her widely circulated poem, read this article.