Yesterday's Gospel still has one line repeating itself in my head, "Zeal for your house will consume me." Has the past year increased my zeal for the Lord's house because of the societal shutdown, or has the absence of the sacraments for this extended period of time diminished my desire to receive them? How would you answer that question?
Do you realize that last year, the second week in March, was the last week we experienced what would later be referred to as "normalcy"? We are now 51 weeks into, "Two weeks to flatten the curve." Who would have ever guessed that our world would have been turned upside down like this by a virus?
We missed Lent and Easter in our churches last year. Many churches are still requiring reservations for the upcoming celebration of Easter in 2021. Limited capacities due to social distancing requirements will be the norm in many locations. After two consecutive years of limited opportunities to celebrate the greatest feast of the year, will the population simply grow accustomed to virtual religion? Will we lose our zeal for God's house?
The photo above was taken this morning in Orlando, Florida and sent to me. It shows the zeal of people desiring to be inside the Magic Kingdom. In some regard, this fills me with hope. There may a come a time when we actually resume living with less fear and more vibrancy. As states "open up," and life resumes some sense of returning to what used to be, will our churches experience overflow crowds? Will people be waiting in line at Easter to get into church, or will that be more the norm for amusement parks and stadiums rather than churches?
Do you realize that last year, the second week in March, was the last week we experienced what would later be referred to as "normalcy"? We are now 51 weeks into, "Two weeks to flatten the curve." Who would have ever guessed that our world would have been turned upside down like this by a virus?
We missed Lent and Easter in our churches last year. Many churches are still requiring reservations for the upcoming celebration of Easter in 2021. Limited capacities due to social distancing requirements will be the norm in many locations. After two consecutive years of limited opportunities to celebrate the greatest feast of the year, will the population simply grow accustomed to virtual religion? Will we lose our zeal for God's house?
The photo above was taken this morning in Orlando, Florida and sent to me. It shows the zeal of people desiring to be inside the Magic Kingdom. In some regard, this fills me with hope. There may a come a time when we actually resume living with less fear and more vibrancy. As states "open up," and life resumes some sense of returning to what used to be, will our churches experience overflow crowds? Will people be waiting in line at Easter to get into church, or will that be more the norm for amusement parks and stadiums rather than churches?
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