Saturday, March 21, 2020 –
Let’s be honest. The bus is on FIRE!
Okay, not really, but we’re all feeling the pressure and stress. Grocery stores are near empty, people are panicked (or not panicked enough), businesses are closing, the world seems shut down, we feel out of control. It FEELS like the bus is on fire, tumbling down a hill, and headed for a cliff.
It’s not, but we are all on edge. As helpless as we feel, remember that our priests are right there with us. They too feel the strain.
We rightly think of priests as superheroes. They are! Their job is to save our souls. Given how often I find myself in the Penance line, this is no small task. We’re talking eternity here, people.
However, they are also men. They have the same human emotions, worries, etc. that we do AND they also have all of us to worry about.
They’re on lockdown too, and it has got to be hurting. Not only do they have to fight for toilet paper, but they also must keep strong for all their parishioners. I know many good and holy priests, and they’re doing an amazing job of not losing it and running screaming into the night. My own priest has been a rock for our family, and we are eternally grateful for the stability and routine he’s helped provide.
They are working tirelessly to maintain what little “normalcy” they can for us: recorded Masses and prayer time, socially distant Confessions, etc. Our own Diocese has rules in place about ministering to the sick, and I cannot imagine what it must feel like to want to anoint the ill and minister to them and being told “no, only in the most dire circumstances.”
So please, say a daily prayer for your priest. Pray for his physical health, his mental well-being, his perseverance to keep fighting for us, and his safety. Email him a note of thanks.
The Fourteen Holy Helpers, pray for us!
