Authored by Br. Jorge Sanchez, OMV
On March 27th, Pope Francis addressed the world from a very dark, rainy and entirely empty St. Peter’s Square. The images were piercing and touched my heart. Pope Francis was interceding for all of us during a time of Pandemic. He gave a reflection on Mark Chapter 4 where Jesus is asleep in the boat and there’s a storm. His disciples were full of fear.
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
Mark 4:38
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there are probably a few of you who find yourselves in this same boat. You might be wondering, “Does God really care? Does he care about what is happening?”
I say this because at one point I was thinking this, too. I felt uncertainty. Not a good feeling. However, I felt like the Lord was inviting me personally to a deeper trust. I trusted that the Lord was going to bring something greater out of this pandemic.
On the first day that we closed our Shrine, the lights were all off. No one was inside. But far in the distance, in the midst of the darkness, I saw a candle burning bright. Jesus was still present in the Tabernacle. The light of the world. It was an invitation to keep my focus on him…even in the darkness.
So, what happened during this time? Many blessings!
- First, I was able to grow closer with my Oblate family and fellow seminarians through community life.
- Second, I was able to live-stream our Masses for many of you. Seeing your messages letting us know your prayer intentions gave me a lot to pray with. We prayed for all of your intentions.
- Third, I was able to use my film skills and we were able to make thank you videos, a Eucharistic virtual retreat and so much more!
But the biggest blessing was being able to draw even closer to Jesus’ Eucharistic heart. He’s allowing the pandemic to happen for his own reasons and he will bring something greater out of it. So let’s open our hearts to him and let us continue this journey with him for he cares about us more than we imagine.
Thank you Br. Jorge, You are so right and it’s been really hard to see our Churches close. I retired at the end of last year and started to go back to daily mass and then everything thing just went crazy! Last weekend I finally attended live mass and it was so beautiful to receive The Body of Christ and now the Church is once again closed. I am trying to keep up hope and continue to watch daily mass with you each day and continue to pray in my prayer room that I have. But it’s not always easy , But I know I must continue to pray harder for the troubled World we are living in today, I will continue to pray for you and all of the beautiful Priest and your vocation. God bless you all and please pray for me and my family. Still can’t wait to meet you someday when you’re out in California. Tell Fr .Tom hello from the Herrera Family.
Thank you and God bless. Holy Mother pray for us! †
Greetings, Br Jorge! What a pleasure reading your well written article is.
And it was a thrill seeing you on the recent Oblates Gala for 2021 via YouTube. Your words were very meaningful and touching. So sorry to hear of the loss of your dear Dad to COVID in Mexico.
Also, in 2016, you were the great facilitator for our group at the Spiritual Exercise classes at St Peter Channel. It was a wonderful experience and you did an excellent job.
Am very proud of you!