Showing that we care

Jack’s mother always said, with her finger pointing upward, “Our main work on this earth is to get from here to there, but we can never presume we’ll get where we are headed without help, and God is that help!”

The three Persons of the Blessed Trinity are daily advocates for us, and we only need to turn to them in thought and prayer. As we begin a new day, to start by thanking the Creator for this gift of a new day, and to ask His help to use out time and talents wisely in His honor.

As we move through the day, stop and examine our consciences and our acts and see how they make us imitators of Jesus. The spirit behind our actions and our good use of the fruits of the Spirit make us aware of His care through the love of others. The fruits are charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, faithfulness, modesty, selfcontrol and chastity. All three persons take part in safeguarding our main vocation, as they journey with us through life as we strive to go from here to there (point a finger upwards) - eternal life in heaven.

Our prayers are heard in God’s time, not our time, and we need to be assured in faith that God does care. This is still most important as we reach 8 weeks of this quarantine and coronavirus fears. Please take care with a mask and distancing. A friend may say, “Call me whenever you need me.” When the bottom falls out and your call goes directly to voicemail, there is little reassurance that the friend cares. That is not the case with prayer to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I ask for your prayers as I celebrate 50 years of Priesthood on May 23. I am most grateful for the various people, parishes and work that I have done as priest — all showing that God does care. Indeed, there have been virus times in these 50 years, as there are in all lives, but we need to begin and end each day with a positive spirit of hope in the Lord, and the courage to pick up the cross and the willingness to practice the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Pray that I may continue to do so, until he calls me up.

At this springtime season of the year, when flowers are blooming, daylight is lengthening and nature is full of life,so the Father’s gift of Creation is full of life. We need to stop and thank Him for this gift. With the Easter gift of the resurrection, we are to recall the Jesus gives us the assurance there is life after death! Today’s Gospel from St. John reminds us that Jesus dwells within us and that the Holy Spirit is with us too.

Truly, no matter how we emotionally or physically feel after these weeks of the coronavirus and the separation and isolation deep within, we need to put the Psalm into action, “Let all the earth cry out to God

As we move through the day, stop and examine our consciences and our acts and see how they make us imitators of Jesus. The spirit behind our actions and our good use of the fruits of the Spirit make us aware of His care through the love of others.

with Joy.” Jesus promises his disciples and us that He will send a new Advocate, the Holy Spirit, as He returns to the Father on Ascension.

The different words for the Holy Spirit are Advocate or Paraclete, as one who will defend or plead our cause. In the trials of this life, and indeed with this pandemic, we have gone through such a time and must continue to point upwards for relief, courage, hope and strength. Perhaps these weeks have taught us that there is often little man or woman can do but point up, and trust in that power because they do care. It is a difficult challenge in faith to truly believe the final words of today’s Gospel, but they are faith, hope and love in action.

“On that day, you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.” Jesus has chosen us as his dwelling place, and He is within each of us. Our duty is to make better use of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our words and actions each day and to lead each other up, because we care!