Christians & Coronavirus:
Staying Connected in Christ
APRIL 8, 2020
"LIGHTING OUR WAY"
LIGHTING OUR WAY
The close of March was not how any us could have expected, sheltered-in-place in our homes, separated from the bread of life and all others. The day I learned we would not celebrate Mass through at least Easter, tears filled my eyes at work. It felt like life had been pulled from me. The anguish is deep, and it’s difficult to not let the weight of it grow each day.
Yet, there is so much light. All around us, the earth is waking from its slumber. Green is overtaking brown as the dominant color. The birds sing with excitement throughout the day, creating a prelude to our “Hallelujah” on Easter morning when we raise our voices in triumph over death and proclaim, “He is risen”.
In our home, Kim has been creating light by celebrating the moments we are given through Lent to recall God’s glory. On the Feat of St. Joseph, she created a place of honor in our dining room where he joined us for dinner. She baked waffles for the Annunciation, and like she has for years with our boys, she creates scenes from the Gospels as we hear them through Lent.
Most importantly though, she has inspired us to pray. Every night, we gather as a family to pray the Rosary and trust Mary will wrap us in her arms as our gentle mother. On Fridays we’ve continued praying the Stations of the Cross, even creating the stations hanging from our fireplace mantle. On Sundays she rises early and turns our living room into our church, and we watch the Mass, feeding on the Word of God. All of this helps us look forward to the day we can again receive the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
All the prayer within our home fees us to move forward each day with faith and hope. It fortifies me personally in the temporal fight I’m involved in every day to do all we can to ensure our business survives. For many, that business is a big part of their hope, so it’s worth the fight.
Nothing in this time is easy, including keeping our faith alive. Most of what we knew is currently turned upside down. His way though is our way through this, whatever the outcome might be. He is lighting the path for us each day. We need only follow his direction, and we will prevail with Him.
Mike Francomb
St. Andrew Parishioner
