Update/reflection from Fr. Gratton (31 MAR 2020):

N.B. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered today for All of our Parishioners and for God’s Healing Hands on Peg & Phil Mollitor (by Steve & Cathy Day)

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Reflection on the daily Mass readings http://usccb.org/bible/readings/033120.cfm

The opening prayer for today’s Mass has two great lessons for us during this time:

“Grant us, we pray, O Lord,
perseverance in obeying your will,
that in our days the people dedicated to your service
may grow in both merit and number.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

The two things that this prayer asks us to look into are: 1) we are called to “persevere in obeying” God’s will, and 2) that our perseverance in God’s will should make the numbers of disciples of Jesus grow in merit and number.

These lessons are important at all times, but especially when we are quarantined. They remind us that we are called to be patient with the ways of God, and that the manner in which we display our patience (or lack thereof) affects the faith and discipleship of other people in our lives. What do I mean by this?

We see the classic example of impatience in the first reading, from the Book of Numbers. The Israelites are fed up with Moses and with God’s plan for them. As they state, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert?” and “We are disgusted with this wretched food!” They are constantly grumbling and complaining about the state that they are in.

Are they going through a hard time? Yes, no doubt! Are they being asked to be patient with God’s ways, which do not seem to make sense to the human mind? Of course! But is their impatience, grumbling, and complaining helping anyone? No! If anything, their impatience and lack of perseverance are bringing out the worst in the people around them—especially poor Moses.

The opening prayer for Mass is perfectly paired with the first reading, today. The prayer shows us how to inspire people to be more faithful/better disciples during difficult times, and the first reading shows us how not to do it.

Today, the Church is reminding us that we are not the only people in the history of the world who have been through troubled times, nor are we the only people who have had difficulty seeing God’s plan in all of this. In fact, we are in solidarity with human beings from the very beginning of time on this issue. But although we struggle and try to find God’s purpose in all of this, we must not fall into the temptation of impatience, grumbling, or complaining. These qualities do not help anyone.

These qualities—which the Israelites in the desert possessed so well—allowed poison to seep into the hearts of Moses, Aaron, the people around them, and most especially themselves. Their lack of trust in God, and their vocal nature of how angry and annoyed they were at the situation, tore people away from seeking out goodness, kindness, and patience.

During times like these it is so easy to throw the blame around, or to only see the bad. It is so easy to fall into the trap of those Israelites, all those years ago, who became so annoyed and impatient that they took it out on everyone around them. We must not fall into this trap. We must not allow our confusion, or anxiety, or impatience, to lead ourselves or others into sin.

The opening prayer for Mass today is clear, we need to persevere in our obedience to God’s will at all times, and if we do this well, we will inspire people around us to fall in love with faith in God. We must inspire people during these times with our patience, with our faith, with our love for others. We are called to trust in God during these times, and we hope that people will see our unwavering faith and be strengthened in their struggles. That is what inspires people to become disciples of Jesus, and that is what inspires disciples to be better disciples. When we are irritable, annoyed, and when we complain about everyone and everything going on around us, it only does the opposite: it makes people question their faith, it makes them angry at God, and it ultimately convinces people to walk away from being a disciple.
We are called this day to be a beacon of light, not a bastion of darkness. May we give our wills completely over to God. May we trust Him, even when it is hard to understand. And may our patience and trust in the living God have an effect on all those around us. May it affect those with whom we talk on the phone; those we speak to online; and especially those who live under our roof.

May we go through this day trying to make and strengthen disciples, rather than destroy them. May we use our virtue of patience and faith to inspire, rather than to dishearten.

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Have courage my sons and daughters in Christ. Be assured of my fervent prayers for all of you, and know that God is always with you.

With all my love,

Fr. Gratton