Jesus the Divine Physician

I'm probably not alone in thinking these are crazy, historic times. All major sports seasons are suspended, people are working from home, we're not shaking hands, and Governor Lamont announced as I was writing this piece that all movie theaters, gyms, casinos, and dine-in restaurants would be closed for the time being. This is arguably the most that American day-to-day life has been impacted since World War II, and that's saying something! It's tempting to fall into panic, despair, and fear. This is definitely a little scary! But we have something that's much stronger than the coronavirus: Jesus, the Divine Physician.

We generally don't think of Jesus as a physician or a doctor, but in many ways He is! One of the things that helped spread the word about Jesus when He was on earth was the large amount of healings He performed. In the Gospels, we have 39 concrete examples of Jesus healing someone (including His own rising from the dead). 39! That's quite a lot. And the fact is, there were definitely more.

Matthew 9:35 tells us that "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness." There are other verses like this in the Gospels as well which lead us to believe that Jesus performed many more healings than were recounted in detail. Okay, so we've established that Jesus healed tons of people. But what was the substance of these healings? What did they actually look like?

When Matthew wrote that Jesus went about healing every disease and sickness, he wasn't kidding! We have records of Jesus curing fevers, leprosy, paralysis, hemorrhoids, blindness, muteness, a withered hand, deafness, dropsy, a severed ear, demonic possession, and even death. You heard me right, Jesus cured death. Including Himself, Jesus raised at least 3 people from the dead!

As we see with His curing of demonic possession, Jesus was not merely a corporal physician. He was, and is, a spiritual one as well. He tells us in Mark 2:17 that "those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." Well aren't we lucky that He came for the sinners, because I've got news for you: we're all sinners.

This is something that we should all take some comfort in during this time of global unrest. The whole world is worried about getting sick. But, in reality, we're already sick. We are all infected with the disease of sin, both original sin and actual sin (the sins we commit in our thoughts, words, doings, and undoings). Sounds a bit dark, right? But again, we have a solution (and a salvation): We have Jesus, the Divine Physician.

Jesus literally cured and defeated death, the powerful and inevitable conclusion to mortal life. If He can do that, He can absolutely cure us of the disease of sin. That's why He gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We should periodically visit a doctor to make sure that our bodies are healthy. In the same way, we should periodically visit a spiritual doctor (Jesus, acting through His holy priesthood), to ensure that our souls are healthy as well.

Now don't get me wrong, we should definitely be focusing on our physical health right now. Wash your hands frequently, avoid going out in public if you don't need to, and be sure to keep 3 feet of space between you and others as much as possible. But these are not the only things we should be taking away from this situation. People being home so much more provides opportunities for family togetherness, prayer, and spiritual renewal.

This is unlike anything else we've ever experienced! We could be cooped up together for an extended period of time, so let's make the most of it. Have a bad habit that's been hard to break because of your busy routine? Take this time to root it out! Remember, we are still in Lent. Feel like you don't spend enough time with your siblings, parents, or children? There's no better time to break out some board games than right now.

We may never have another instance of so much time spent with our families under the same roof. Use it for good. Be safe, pray for the world, and make sure to try to find some alone time if you need it. Place your trust in our Divine Physician and Savior, and ask Him to watch over both your physical and spiritual health. We will get through this together. If you rely on God, He will not let you down.

I wish you all good health of both spirit and body, and I hope to give many of you a friendly elbow bump soon.

God Bless,

Regis

March 15, 2020 - Third Sunday of Lent

Dear Friends in Christ:

Well the concern continues to grow, especially as there are now, as of this writing, two confirmed cases of patients with Coronavirus in the State of Connecticut.

There isn’t a day that goes by that the Coronavirus is not a topic of conversation! We are remaining vigilant to say the least. In this time of unknown it is best to be prepared as best we can. With that said we implemented the precautionary measures provided by the Archbishop last weekend and these remain in effect until further notice:

1. The sign of peace should be exchanged without physical contact like hand-shaking; or else the call to exchange a sign of peace should simply be omitted.

2. The distribution of Holy Communion to the faithful via the chalice should be suspended; concelebrants and assisting deacons should receive only by intinction. (We have already implemented this due to the Flu being widespread.)

3. Communion on the tongue should be strongly discouraged. A clarification came this week that reminded all clergy that it is still allowed especially in particular circumstances when understandably necessary such as a parishioner with a disability that prevents reception on the hands.

4. There should be minimal handling of collection baskets, by ushers only.

5. Holy Water fonts should be emptied. (PLEASE NOTE—you can bring in your own holy water bottle—we have given them out at Easter each year—and fill it from the large holy water container and use it for yourself.)

6. Priests, deacons, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are urged to practice good hygiene, washing their hands before Mass begins or even using an alcohol based anti-bacterial solution before and after distributing Holy Communion.

7. The faithful should be told that if they are sick or are experiencing symptoms of sickness they are not obliged to attend Mass, and that out of charity they ought not to attend.

Remember Mass is celebrated on television each and every day at 10AM on WTXX or WCCT. If you are sick and watch this Mass on television it fulfills your Sunday Obligation!

I want to urge everyone in the course of daily life to do what you can to implement precautionary measures for yourself and your family. This is NOT to be a time of fear but a call to increased awareness and a call to do our part in not spreading this virus. Please know that in addition to these precautions we are working daily on disinfecting to the best of our ability the doorknobs, door handles, tops of pews, covered-missalettes, and other places frequently touched by human hands.

We also need to pray for an end to this illness throughout the world, and for those who are afflicted with it. You will hear some specific intentions at weekend Masses praying for an end to infectious diseases and to this particular health threat. Please add this to your daily prayers as well. For the next couple of weeks we will be offering our time of Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays for this particular intention! We ask that you come, sit a good distance from others, and pray before the Eucharistic Lord invoking His help for our world as we deal with this virus.

We will continue to monitor all available information and guidance about COVID-19 (the 2019 Novel Coronavirus) to determine how it impacts the many activities conducted within and by Saint Bridget of Sweden Parish. In seeking how to respond properly and as quickly as possible, we will focus at all times on the health, safety, and well-being of our parishioners.

LAST SUNDAY our RCIA Catechumens traveled to Saint Joseph Cathedral in Hartford to participate in the Rite of Election. The Rite of Election closes the Period of the Catechumenate. This rite normally coincides with the first Sunday of Lent. At this rite, upon the testimony of sponsors and catechists and the catechumens' affirmation of their intention to join the Church, the Church makes its "election" of these catechumens to receive the Sacraments of Initiation. In the presence of the Archbishop (or his delegate), they inscribe their names in the Book of the Elect at the cathedral as a pledge of fidelity. Now the catechumens are called "the elect” or "the illuminandi" ("those who will be enlightened"). They now begin a Period of Purification and Enlightenment —the final, intense preparation for the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation. On the next five Sundays of Lent, three scrutinies (rites for self-searching and repentance) and the presentations of the Creed and Lord's Prayer take place. This period concludes with the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.

After the Easter Vigil, the newly baptized and confirmed members of the Church (technically called neophytes) enter the Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy. During this time they grow in their understanding of the mysteries of the faith and strengthen their bonding with the rest of the faithful. This process is meant to help them enter more fully into the life and unity of the Church.

The RCIA is a spiritually moving process beneficial to the whole parish community. As we draw closer to the celebration of Easter, let us pray in particular for those elect who will be entering our holy Catholic Church this Easter. In our parish, they are Mark Lacy and Ryan Garrett. Pictured here is Deacon Richard Wilber as the Sponsor with Ryan Garrett signing the Book of the Elect last Sunday!

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT…This weekend we hear the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Last weekend we saw how listening to Jesus can make all the difference in our lives. Today the dialogue between Jesus and the Woman at the Well also teaches something profound about listening.

Most people think they are good listeners. Didn’t Matthew Kelly say that in the book Resisting Happiness?

Today we see the best listener - Jesus! Of course, Jesus is God, but in his humanity he models focused listening - so much so that the Samaritan woman exclaims, "He told me everything I have done." Jesus fulfills her deepest desire - to open her heart and not hold back anything. For sure she thirsts for ordinary water but much more for living water, that is for acceptance by one who knows everything she has done.

You and I should bring that thirst to our prayer. Like the Samaritan woman, we've got to come clean about our past. We have to own up to our sin. We have to be truthful about who we are and tell God how many things we have put before Him in our list of priorities.

Why can God alone satisfy our thirst? Here's the reason: the thirst we bring to prayer is nothing compared with the thirst God has for us.

That's the message for the third week of Lent. In the end only God can satisfy the true thirst of our hearts, because he thirsts for your salvation and mine.

This Sunday we also have the First Scrutiny. This is an exorcism prayer which is part of the RCIA process and it is based on the Gospel we just heard where Jesus offers the Samaritan woman "Living Water" that is, the Holy Spirit. "Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Here is the prayer that will be said for our Catechumens: "Grant that these catechumens, who, like the woman of Samaria, thirst for living water, may turn to the Lord as they hear his word and acknowledge the sins and weaknesses that weigh them down. Protect them from vain reliance on self and defend them from the power of Satan...Amen."

Parish Corporal Works of Mercy update…this past weekend the generous people of our two churches donated 2,808 pounds of beverages to the Cheshire Community Food Pantry to give drink to the thirsty! Thank you! This weekend we are collecting WHITE socks for men, women, and children to be donated to the Saint Vincent DePaul Shelter in Waterbury OR onesies for Carolyn’s Place to help clothe the naked and next weekend we will be taking up a second collection to be donated to the shelter to shelter the homeless. Please note we have been made aware that for next weekend you have two envelopes already. For those who wish to give to the Catholic Relief Services collection please put that envelope in the basket during the First Collection. ALL PROCEEDS from the Second Collection will be given toward the Saint Vincent DePaul Shelter. Thank you for all you do to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate and for recognizing that in serving them we are serving the Lord.

As always, remember to pray for our parish family and ask God’s blessings as we build His kingdom here. Please know that I am praying for you, and I ask for your prayers for me, that together through the intercession of Saint Bridget of Sweden, our Patroness, and united in the Eucharist, we will reflect the presence of Jesus to the world.

Joy (and where it comes from)

Joy is a slippery thing. It's one of those concepts that's really hard to come up with a definition for, but we know it when we see it. I want to touch on what I think joy is (and more importantly, where it comes from). It's not something that we'll find in the pleasures of our materialistic world, but rather in the places we might least expect. Joy is all around us, we just need to know how to seek it out.

So what is joy? We should probably define this thing. Joy, as defined by catholicculture.org, is the feeling brought about by the expectation or possession of some good. Pretty simple, right? Now, something you'll hear pretty frequently are comparisons between joy and pleasure (aka happiness). What's the difference?

Here it is: pleasure and happiness originate from bodily sensation. When we eat good food, it causes a pleasant sensation (good taste). When we crawl under a soft, warm blanket, it causes a pleasant sensation (warmth, softness). When we sit down after a hard workout, it causes a pleasant sensation (release of tension, soothing). Are you starting to see the pattern here?

Happiness and pleasure stem from biological responses. They're not bad, though! On the contrary, pleasure is something that God gave us to show us just how good He can be. It's not everything, however, and it can easily be abused. Joy is different. Joy is confusing and tough to pin down. Joy is the single realest emotion that we can feel.

Saint Francis has one of the best explanations of joy on the market. There's a story of him walking with Brother Leo, one of the friars in his community, where he talks about joy in great detail. He goes through a laundry list of things that are NOT perfect joy. From being able to speak all languages, to having the gift of prophecy, to curing the sick and even raising the dead, Francis touches on many things that we might think would bring us joy!

What IS perfect joy, according to Francis, is much simpler. He says that "bearing all injuries with patience and joy, thinking of the suffering of our Blessed Lord" is true, perfect joy. Kind of counter-intuitive! According to Saint Francis, joy is not power or wealth or pleasure or comfort or anything worldly. He says that joy is being able to roll with the punches, accept suffering as our cross, and still find solace in the knowledge that Christ is there for us and loves us dearly. And you know what? He's absolutely right.

One thing that brings me great joy at the moment is our Next Generation of Disciples (NGD) youth group! We've had four meetings so far, and grown over 150% in just one month! I am so blessed to call this a "job." At our meeting last week, we were speaking about sharing our faith with others, and Fr. Federico said something I absolutely loved.

To share your faith with others, you need joy! People won't believe what you're saying if you haven't bought into it yourself. What Father said that I loved so much is that "joy can't be faked. It has to be real. If we were sitting here, talking about stuff we didn't really believe, you'd see right through us!" I couldn't have said it better myself, so why try? That is so true. Joy cannot be faked, manufactured, or copied. It has to be obtained the real way, the hard way (the way that's worth it).

Joy can be tough to let into our lives sometimes! There's always a temptation to resist suffering and take comfort in worldly pleasures. But when someone is truly joyful, it's unmistakable and amazing. It's like they glow with the light of Christ. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of person I want to be! I pray that you will let joy flood every aspect of your life this Lent, and take comfort in the knowledge that our God loves us more than anything else in this world.

God Bless you,

Regis