Director of Mission

Director of Mission

Athena Costopoulos

 

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

John 20:1-9

 

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So, she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

So, Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.  Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.  Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.  Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.  (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

The Word of the Lord,

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ

 

Reflection

 

We are where the Church is.

This year, as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s passion and resurrection, we will be experiencing the disciples’ emotions. It will be a time of loneliness, isolation, fear and sorrow for many.  Daniel O’Leary in his book, Unmasking God, writes:

Easter … reminds us that God reaches us in human touch. It is in our physical, earthy humanity that we heal and save each other. We have learned this from a human God. John placed his ear on the heart of Jesus at the Last Supper. Mary Magdalene touched his feet, Thomas his wounds.

While social distancing has closed our churches, schools, work and recreational places, we are reminded that we are all in this together. Amongst the heartbreaking news stories, we hear the heart-warming ones of love and kindness in our community. Health workers caring for the sick and dying, online choirs, grocery drop offs, gifts of toilet paper and phone calls from loved ones are all acts of love that connect us to each other.

When the New Testament mentions “the church,” it is talking about the people—the body of Christ, sent to share the Good News. We are the Church. We are where the Church is.

The data suggests that what the world needs now is not our physical presence, but our absence. So, we find new ways of connecting with each other – by phone and email and Zoom and Skype. Still a Church. A church without walls.

 

Mass Participation and Prayers From Home

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TOGETHER WE PRAY

God of Love and Mercy We pray for our world – for all of us, each one now in some way impacted by COVID-19: but especially for those persons who are ill, those who have lost loved ones and those whose personal and work lives have been severely disrupted by the reach of this virus.

We give thanks for the tender care of the sick by doctors, nurses and health care workers, for the generous and willing service of volunteers and for the imagination and dedication of researchers seeking a cure.

We are grateful for those who share wise advice with us; those whose work creates healthy environments for us; those who put our needs before theirs, our safety before theirs, our well-being before theirs.

May we each be supportive of one another, considerate of one another and generous to one another in this difficult and uncertain time.

Amen