Looking to the Future
Happy Mother’s Day,
...to all of you who have mothered and nurtured children, whether they were biological, adopted, fostered, or simply children in the community you cared for and loved. I pray that you are blessed, and that you and your family are staying safe and healthy. I realize that people are getting anxious to return to their old way of life, especially now that the weather is getting nicer. While I am extremely grateful for all of the financial support that we have received throughout this pandemic (I, along with the staff, PC, & Finance Commission, truly see it as a blessing and the amazing character of St. Alphonsus parishioners.) I also realize that some of you may be feeling anxious about your finances. If you need help, please contact one of us and we will try to do whatever we can.
I want to share two stories that I have heard recently that kind of show the spectrum of where people are at with our current situation. The first story concerns our outreach ministry. As Michelle cut back on her volunteers, she continued to do more of the shopping. Since she was buying in bulk she soon felt the stares of judgment upon her, silently accusing her of being a hoarder. So she decided to simply tape a sign on her cart explaining that she was shopping for St. Alphonsus’s outreach ministry. However, this had an unexpected consequence. People began to stop her and give her money! Total strangers, who had never heard of St. Alphonsus, were giving her checks to help pay for the groceries and cleaning supplies. During this time when so many people are concerned about their own financial situation, have in fact, been very generous to others.
The other story does not have such a happy ending (and so, some of you may want to skip this paragraph). I recently heard about a small group of friends who made a promise with one another. They wanted to continue to gather occasionally during this time of separation, and so they promised that they would stay in their homes and only go to certain agreed upon locations. Thus, they would hopefully remain virus-free and could get together every couple of weeks without worry. Unfortunately, one of them decided to go to a place that was not on the list and put him at risk. The next time they gathered he was carrying the virus and they all became infected and sick. One of them even died. I do not know if he felt he was too young to get Covid-19, or if he thought this was being exaggerated, or maybe he just wanted to do what he wanted to do. No matter the reason, the consequences of his action were dire and we will need to live with it for the rest of his life.
I realize that for some people this is just too much. The restrictions that are being placed upon us stand in opposition to their idea of “freedom.” But freedom does not mean that you can simply do what you want, whenever you want...that is anarchy. True freedom comes with responsibility. Our own freedoms cannot put others at risk. i.e. Not everyone is “free” to drive a car. You have to pass a test and acquire a license for the safety of others. The very fact that federal and state governments have taken these actions should be proof enough that we are in a dire situation. No politician would do this without good reason. In fact, I am sure that quite a few of them will loose their position simply because they did what needed to be done, while those who wined and did nothing but complain (while taking care of their own safety) will retain theirs.
As we do look to the future, we are discussing how we might return to the celebration of The Sacraments, especially The Eucharist. It is obvious that we cannot just all come back at once, and so, we will need to be creative in how we can come together safely. Regardless of when the church doors open, we will continue to live stream the mass. We are currently looking at better equipment that will allow us to do so on a permanent basis. Please keep an eye on our Facebook, Web Page & YouTube Channel for information on what is happening here at St. Alphonsus.
In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick