Of all the problems to have, too many people signing up for Mass is the one that feels most like a blessing. Now that our church is able to reopen on a limited basis, people are hurrying to come back to Mass, and we are struggling to accommodate them. Praise God! Our parishioners have remained strong in their faith and have even increased in their longing for the graces of the Mass. Jesus truly has not let this pandemic go to waste.
Nevertheless, I beg your continued patience over the next several weeks. While Phase 2 has allowed us to return to our church building, this pandemic is far from over and our parish life is still far from normal. There are going to be a lot of hiccups and a lot of speed bumps as we try to live our faith as fully as possible in spite of continued restrictions. The Lord is certainly in control, but sometimes he leaves the details to well-intentioned but fallible priests, staff, and volunteers.
For now, I just hope we take time to appreciate all the moments of blessing that are going to present themselves in the coming weeks. For many of us, it was a profound moment to experience public Mass in our church for the first-time last weekend, a moment that many more of us are still anticipating. And this week I had my first greasy burger at a sit-down restaurant, which I must say was also good for my soul. When a global pandemic has stripped away so many things from us, we would do well to give thanks every time one of them is given back.
People say that this crisis, like the World Wars and the Great Depression, will be “era-defining;” that each of us will live the rest of our lives marked by, and in response to, these experiences. I hope that our life-long response, then, is to forever give thanks for the blessings, large and small.
Fr. Moore 