Keep Calm Pandemic On

These are scary times we are living in, not knowing who has the virus or what surface it is on. I’m not here to tell you what to do medically (do wash your hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds (pray an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be while you wash your hands, and that’s over 20 seconds), but you have already heard that from the proper authorities) you need to make that decision for yourself while listening to the proper authorities. Even though I work in the medical field, I’m on the insurance side, so I cannot tell you any more than the next guy. I encourage you to follow what the government and the church are asking of you, which you should know. All I’m seeing is good actions by local governments and churches. Restaurants and churches are closing down or canceling Mass to prevent the spread of the virus, which I think is good. We can debate all day whether this is an overreaction or not, but that isn’t what this blog post will be about.

So many times, in times like this, I look for hope…calm…laughter. Well, I’m creating it here. I’m not going to add to the hysteria; I desire a respite from it. I know God wants you. He wants your whole self. He knows what He is doing right now, even though we don’t. He is just asking us to be good little sheep and follow him into the unknowwwwnnn. (Yes, that was a Frozen II reference. No apologies. I hope it put a smile on your face 😉 ) He might have to break our legs (that’s the only way the sheep would stay on the shepherds’ shoulders), but once the sheep’s legs were healed that sheep would be the closest to the shepherd. 

He has us and it does us no good to worry. He has YOU, even if you are fighting it. He loves YOU as well. You personally. He wants you to know how loved you are. You are worth the death of His Son. (Of course I’m talking about God the Father here.) You are so precious to Him if only you knew. He wants your heart to only be His. He will get us through this, and He’ll fight for your heart. This is such a time of Him fighting for your heart; let yourself be loved.

I saw a video from the podcast Abiding Together, where Sr Miriam James said that this isn’t the end of the story. That podcast always cheers me up. If you don’t listen, what are you doing? GO LISTEN ( 😉 ). Actually finish reading then listen to them. They always make me smile and help me through hard times by giving me hope. My favorite is Michelle Benzinger. I’m sure she’s who coined the phrase “Spiritual Amnesia.” She’s so excitable and I love that she wants to champion other people along. Girl crush aside. They always say talk about the stories of peoples’ life and how we are in different seasons in our life. But seriously, I do recommend you do stuff that calms you down and pray. God has a sense of humor, and not always in the bad way. Sometimes I’m praying, and He intentionally makes me laugh. He knows when I need it better than I do. if prayer only doesn’t help, take action. Do something about the situation you are in to help your mental state. My mom is cooking because it calms her and it’s also taking action for her family, making sure her family has food. I help her out. She also recommended a book to me “Anxious For Nothing” by Max Lucado. My uncle recommended it to her. I’m listening to it and it is good. The author is Protestant, but still a good read.. Maybe exercise or run. That releases endorphins which are good but be safe about it. Maybe not go to the gym but walk around your home or neighborhood or watch exercise videos on the internet. That’s what I’m doing while I’m working from home. These are just suggestions during this scary time. I do want you to find your own fun if you are worried.

God, right now more than ever, needs souls that He can pour His merciful love into. There is a great book 33 Days to Merciful Love by Fr. Michael Gaitley. It talks about being a martyr to God’s Divine Mercy and goes into St Therese the Little Flower’s teaching on this. She saw the people of her age giving themselves to God’s justice and getting horrible punishments calling themselves martyrs to God’s justice. In response, she consecrated herself to God’s Divine Mercy because she knows that God is a merciful God and His needs to love. Why not accept all the rejected love that people don’t know or want that is out there for them? Doing the consecration, you will ultimately give that love you received to those souls who it is intended for. I’m going to have a piece out later about it, and the link is below for the book on Amazon. You may not get it in two days but I have also provided a downloadable version as well. I have also heard to make this a time of retreat. Slow down and make space for God and truly allow Him in AND to comfort you.

If you do not fall into this category and you are not worried about this but angry over Masses be canceled, I do implore you to pray for those who are dealing with the virus and those worried around it. Make time for God most of all right now. Make a Spiritual Communion daily or send your Guardian Angel to Mass for you. There are links for those below to different resources. Also, realize that your bishop is doing what he thinks is the best for everyone in his best conscience. Maybe pray that this is over quickly so Masses can be returned and be obedient to your local bishop.

I want everyone who reads this to pray for this virus to be contained, and for the reparation of sins because I think that is what God desires for us right now. That is what He always desires. You may feel close to God or far away, but I do know He’s ALWAYS close to you, no matter what you feel. He is closer to you than your breath. He desires a closer relationship with you.

Resources

Spiritual Communion/What To Do When You Can’t Attend Mass (Dr Edward Sri)

Prayer to the Guardian Angel When Unable to Assist at Daily Mass (Catholic Answers)

33 Days to Merciful Love (Fr. Michael Gaitley)