A Life of Deep Friendship With Our Lord

April 29, 2020
+ Feast of St. Catherine of Siena
Dear Friends in Christ,
I write my weekly letter to you today on this Feast of St. Catherine of Siena – the great 14th century saint who was a virgin, mystic and doctor of the Church. She lived a life of spiritual depth, humility and boldness that flowed from the Spirit of God. From this foundation of spiritual freedom, she was able to provide Church leaders, including popes, with wisdom and counsel for the good of the Church at a time of crisis.

Last Sunday in my teaching after Mass, which we livestreamed on our communication platforms, I spoke about the resurrection appearances of Christ through the lens of our three modern popes: John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. Each of these popes have experienced a deep encounter with the risen Christ as well as the love, mercy and healing that Christ offers to all of us. Like St. Catherine of Siena, they have experienced transformation and restoration through God’s grace.

Our life of faith has two important dimensions: the substantive dimension – what we believe about the nature of God and humanity and the affective dimension – the experience of deep communion through the divine life of God that we are offered through grace. Truth and grace are both found in God and speak to our minds and hearts. Sadly, too few Christians reach out to Christ for healing and a life of deep friendship with our Lord. Like the rest of society, this renders us lost and adrift at sea as we journey without the light of the risen one.

These days of crisis and challenge  present a new invitation to receive the love of God and to say yes to God’s invitation to experience a life-giving relationship with him. By failing to do this, Pope Francis reminds us that we deprive ourselves of the antibodies we need for this time of adversity. We would do well to follow the wise counsel of Pope Francis who has said that this present moment is a time of choosing: “a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not.” The outstretched hand of the risen Christ awaits all of us during this Easter season.

My ministry as pastor bridges both spiritual and practical realities - the spiritual good of the parish and parishioners as well as the temporal goods of Lourdes. I want to briefly update you on a number of items that pertain to both. First, the sacramental and spiritual life of the parish continues in many ways at Lourdes: weekly time for prayer in the church, the reception of Easter communion; weekly confessions in the courtyard; weekly livestreamed Mass on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and continued faith formation opportunities. Last weekend saw a number of events at Lourdes – all limited by size and social distancing – a funeral Mass for Bill Lawson and the sacramental marriages of two Lourdes couples. Thank you to all who helped with these events. I would also like to thank Fred Schilling, Lee Smiertelny and Patrick Tierney for their ongoing help hosting the daily prayer time in the church.

Going forward – there are a number of possibilities on the horizon. I remain hopeful that we are able to open the doors of the church soon and responsibly for public Masses. We await guidance from Governor Walz and Archbishop Hebda in this regard. In the meantime, once the stay at home order is lifted, I would like to host weekly gatherings of parishioners – limited to 10 – in our courtyard or Hofstede Hall, depending on the weather. This will be an opportunity to reconnect and for me to check in to see how everyone is fairing during these challenging times. Stay tuned for more details.

Beginning this weekend, we will place prayer petitions that were gathered from parishioners via phone on the altar to be prayed for during Sunday Mass. If you would like a private prayer intention included on the altar, please contact Hazel Jordan at [email protected] If you have a prayer request or intention prayed for publicly by our community, please contact Julie Craven at [email protected]

Lastly, thanks to all parishioners and friends who continue to support the parish financially at this time. While we continue to be challenged by a downturn in income and Sunday giving, a number of parishioners have stepped up to help the parish. Your support has been a lifeline and I am deeply grateful.

Be well, be safe and please join me in praying for the Wethington family who will soon celebrate the life of Joseph and all those who are affected by this global health crisis. May the light of the risen Lord continue to guide us on our journey of faith.
United in Faith,
Fr. Daniel Griffith