Memo from Msgr. Raun - Saturday, August 29th, 2020
| My dear family, Greetings in the Lord Jesus, as we prepare to celebrate another Lord's Day! REASONS WE NEED EMPATHY NOW MORE THAN EVER : We’re All Impacted Differently In the early days of the pandemic, some said we’re all in the same boat. Not really. Even though we are all affected by this coronavirus crisis in some way, the way it impacts our lives varies tremendously. It's important to keep this in mind to make way for empathy, to see from another person's perspective. I have friends who have worked harder and spent more hours outside the home than before, others have worked solely from home for the first time, and yet others no longer have a job at all. Some have lost loved ones. People in destructive relationships with someone they live with are at greater risk of mental, emotional, and even physical harm. Though some individuals have enjoyed reflective time and an increase of quiet in their lives, others have been devastated. Even people who have similar circumstances have different ways of filtering their experiences and processing their feelings related to it. We can’t assume another person's experience is like ours. Instead, we need to get curious and seek to understand others in a way that helps them feel understood. Engaging in empathy connects us to another person and helps us widen our vision. Our enemy would love to keep us focused on ourselves and the way we see things. God wants to help us see more of what He would have us see. Empathy occurs when we see beyond our own thoughts and feelings to what another person experiences. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. –1 Corinthians 13:12 In this world, we will never have eyes to see all there is to see. We see and know God in part. Empathy helps us see God and the world around us through the eyes of another person, and through this, we get to experience more of God. COMMUNION IN THE HAND, REVISITED. Friends, as you know, I personally prefer Communion on the tongue, not the hand. But there is no doubt that Communion on the hand is lawful, and in the present emergency, we have been asked by our Archbishop to do this. It does make sense: if someone has the corona virus, we don't want them coughing or sneezing at close range all over the poor Eucharistic minister. But some people have been spreading the idea that it is impossible to receive Communion in the hand without committing sacrilege. They say that there will always be particles of the Blessed Sacrament that will end up on the ground. They talk about a person wearing a black glove that picks up an unconsecrated host, and there can be seen little white specks on the glove. Time for some common sense, my friends. Indeed, our Lord is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - under the appearance of bread and wine. This is the mystery of the Real Presence. But when does our Lord cease to be present in the Blessed Sacrament? When it no longer appears as bread and wine. Here we can speak of "fragments" of the Blessed Sacrament as opposed to "particles" that come from the Blessed Sacrament. "Fragments" are bits of the Host that break off that are clearly recognizable as the appearance of bread. In the rare event that a Host breaks in our hand and there are fragments of the Eucharist, we must consume them with all reverence and care, for our Lord is present. But there are countless little particles that are produced by the Host. We do our best to consume them with reverence due to their relation to the Holy Eucharist, but they no longer have the appearance of bread, and therefore our Lord is no longer present. Words about this from the excellent and very orthodox New Theological Review: "Some persons fall into serious confusion on this point. Because every particle of the consecrated Host is surely Jesus, they think that even every microscopic particle which falls from the Host is also Jesus – but in this, they err. A piece of the Host which is visible to the human eye (under usual conditions and without assistance) as what appears to be a piece of bread, is surely Jesus. However, those particles which are so small as to be invisible to the human eye, or to be indistinguishable from a particle of dust – these cannot any longer be the Eucharist. The Church teaches that the Eucharistic Presence remains “as long as the Eucharist species subsist”. This means that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, so long as the Eucharist retains the appearance of bread and wine. This must hold true for those particles which are so small as to be unrecognizable as “bread”. If the fragment is so small as to appear to be dust or a speck of some other substance, rather than a “crumb” of bread, it can no longer be the Eucharist. Likewise, those microscopic particles which fall from the Host are not the Eucharist, since they clearly do not retain the appearance of bread. Excessive scrupulosity about such things will only cause the true faith to be ridiculed. Indeed, in this case, the words of the Catechism of the Council of Trent are most helpful that warn priests to dissuade the people from a vain curiosity into such mysteries." I am also told that people are spreading stories of certain modern "mystics" who claim that receiving Communion in the hand is a sin. How can something that all the saints of the first six centuries of the Church did be a sin? Such people are mistaken, to say the least. I know all these folk are very well intentioned, but they are wrong. The important thing is to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with a heart full of grace, faith, and love. And we all know who wants to stop us from receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. He, old deceiver that he is, will use any means to keep us from our Eucharistic Lord. THE GOVONOR has increased the number of people allowed into church to 40%. We thank God. But we are still trying to figure out how to put 400 people into church and still have everyone "socially distanced". This is more tricky than it seems! We are thinking of all sorts of possibilities. For the meantime, we will keep the limit to 250 persons for this weekend. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANSWERS? Do you need a refresher course in the Faith? Perhaps, you’ve been away for a while and need to get back into practice…but, you want to know the why of it all. THE ALPHA COURSE is an 11-week course for anyone wanting to learn more about our Christian beliefs and practices. Participants learn the answers to basic questions of life, “What is my purpose here?”, “What does God want of Me?” “Who is Jesus?” “Why did Jesus die?” “Why should I read the Bible?” and “How do I pray?” If you are seeking answers to these and other questions in your life, then Alpha, a no cost, no obligation, no commitment class is chance for you to join others in seeking answers to life’s questions and more. Our next ALPHA begins in 8 September, you can go online at our website (stanm.org) and register for the course. HOW TO GO TO MASS: 1. All Masses - just show up. But remember that we have to close off the church when we reach 250 people in attendance. 2. Wear a mask. 3. Be prepared to receive Communion in the hand. IF WE REACH 250 PEOPLE AT A MASS, and a person arrives after that, they will be invited to come to another Mass, or they can go to their car and wait, and they will be allowed to join the Communion line at the end of Mass. We are now broadcasting every Sunday Mass on our new low-wattage FM transmitter, at 106.5 FM. You can receive this signal from anyplace in the parking lot of the church. Communion outside the doors of the Fr. D'Arco Parish Hall is distributed after the Sunday 9 am Mass for those who do not yet feel comfortable going inside the church. CONFESSIONS: Weekdays: 8 am and 5 pm Saturday: 8 am and 2:30 pm EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT : Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm BAPTISMS, MARRIAGES,SICK CALLS and FUNERALS are all taking place, albeit under the restrictions mandated by the Archbishop and the Governor. Just call the parish office and we will gladly help you with the preparations needed. PLEASE SHARE ALL THIS INFORMATION WITH THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET! HOLINESS TIP : Quotes from one of the greatest Christian teachers of the 20th Century, C.S. Lewis...…. “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE: These are "play on words". They are really clever, but you have to think about them. Sometimes it helps to say them out loud: When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered. He had a photographic memory which was never fully developed. OUR PRAYER FOR THE DAY: today is the feast of the Passion (that is, martyrdom) of St. John the Baptist..... Oh God, you gave St. Elizabeth, in her old age, the gift of a son, St. John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for Jesus to begin His ministry here on earth. Fill Your people with the joy of possessing graces like those of Saint John, and direct the minds of all us in the way of salvation and peace. St. John was martyred for truth and justice, so may we, O God, energetically profess our Faith in You, and help us to lead others to Your Way, Your Truth, and Your Eternal Life. Amen. I send you my fatherly blessing, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen ! Msgr. Doug Raun |
Posted in Daily Memo from Msgr. Raun
1 Comment
Monsignor in your. Homily today, 8/30 you gave us a lovely, simple morning prayer. Please consider posting this prayer in your notes. Would like to teach this prayer to my son in sign language. Thank You. The wood family