A Holy Week Rosary-Decade in a Time of Health Crisis

"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

Our Father...

At the start of Holy Week, I pray for the people who are separated from loved ones who are hospitalized. And for the many who are working long hours and away from home.

Hail Mary...

For the millions of people who are self-isolating, as a gift to the larger society. In our isolation, like monks, may we learn something new about ourselves and God.

Hail Mary...

People who are out of work are being reduced to sudden poverty. There are food pantry lines that are miles long. We pray for those who find themselves in dire need, and for those who help to "feed the hungry."

Hail Mary...

May we learn that national pride is not determined by any greatness other than the greatness of our coming together as a people who care for others, as Christ has revealed.

Hail Mary...

I pray for those who are working through their fear and fatigue to help heal the sick. May I be healed of any bitter negativity during this challenging and disruptive time.

Hail Mary...

I pray for families stricken with grief at the loss of a loved one and for the many who now find themselves in financial difficulty. 

Hail Mary...

Behind the front line care workers are those who are performing the essential work that keeps a society functioning. Often their work is selfless and hidden. I ask blessing for them.

Hail Mary...

Our unity is always under threat. May we be creators of fellowship, turning a deaf ear to the angry blamers, scoffers and dividers who weaken family, church or national life.

Hail Mary...

May we not lose our awareness that this is a global crisis. The suffering is very great in other parts of the world. 

Hail Mary...

Calling this pandemic, God's judgment on sin, is immature religion and a projection of resentment towards others. The only judgment is our judgment about the things that matter deeply to our continued life on this planet. May we learn well.

Hail Mary...

Glory be to the Father...

Palm Sunday Gift

Many of us won't be able to participate in Mass this weekend because of the health crisis in which we find ourselves these days. So I thought I'd use our space here to find you and to share these pussywillow branches with you. They are an encouraging sign of renewal, hope and new life. I send them with every good wish and a blessing for your family and every family in the world where there is anxiety, fatigue, sickness, loneliness or stress.

Were we at the Palm Sunday Mass we'd have heard St. Matthew's familiar Gospel account (21:1-11) of Jesus' Entry into Jerusalem. But the verse that stands out for me today is this: "Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road."

If you heard yesterday's audio-post, you might remember the thoughts about the withered tree Duccio placed behind Jesus' halo. My only fear is that I would come to the end of my life never having been fruitful in Christ. But looking again, by contrast, we see two other trees still further behind—tall, leafed-out and green. Young boys are scrambling up the trees to cut the branches they'll lay down on the road. 

But what does it mean? It means, that along with the pussywillow branch, I offer this prayer for you:

O Christ our Saviour,

 Christ, the tree of our ascent,

may we move

 up and out

 of spiritual infancy,

to maturity of faith—

that I would live my own unique life

as truthfully, generously and beautifully, 

as you, Jesus, lived yours. 

While We Are Away From Palm Sunday Mass ~ Duccio's Jesus' Entry Into Jerusalem