In the entrance antiphon we are told to rejoice, to be joyful, and to exult. It all seems absolutely inappropriate given what we are living through at this moment.
Preparing to celebrate for the first time in my 30 years of priesthood mess without a congregation I was walking through the entire missile and got stuck in the Creed.
We believe in one God the father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth of all things visible and invisible.
Someone was telling me yesterday that there was a priest online saying that this was all the creation of the devil to destroy the Church. The problem with that theory is that the devil cannot create. Only God can create. We humans can manufacture. We take a tree and transform it into toilet paper but we cannot create the tree.
In the gospel today the people assume that the man being born blind is a bad thing, that it must be punishment for sin. They cannot see the truth. Jesus proclaims that what they perceive as a curse is actually for the Glory of God. As a person born with a disability this gospel has had a profound affect in my life. It took me years to see it as a blessing and not a curse.
The truth is that we are all born blind. We see only a tiny fragment of the universe. And yet, we claim to know so much.
If I say the word bacteria, you think bad. And yet, they are an essential part of our world , of our bodies. If you killed all of the bacteria in your body you would die.
Do we know why viruses exist? No. That is a part of the mystery. We may never know in this world. And we should pay no attention to those who offer facile answers to such a complex question
What we do know is this :
St John tells us: God is love.
St. Paul tells us : All things work together for good for those who love God.
Just as the salvation of the world came through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, we are going to see the glory of God through this virus.
Look around we can already see it. People coming together and helping one another. Who would have ever imagined our government offering humanitarian aid to Iran. We as a church are seeking new creative ways of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
we are people of Faith, Hope, and Love
We can in fact Rejoice, because we know that God is always with us. We know that out of every Good Friday comes Easter
