In Facing Loneliness, The Church Answers

Recently I was reading an article entitled, "Immunity From Being Alone" published in The Economist.  It's fascinating in that it notes clearly that loneliness is bad for your health - even as bad as being obese or being a moderate smoker.  Apart from health care professionals, who would have thought such?

The article quotes the study of Dr Steven Cole, from the University of California, who writes that although loneliness starts with solitude, it can quickly take on a physiological life of its own.  He adds that enforced isolation, brought about by current circumstances, of those who are already living alone may create in people a state of chronic loneliness that is difficult to escape from when things start returning to normal.

As a pastor, these words frighten me!  They also outline some imminent pastoral work for us who belong to and lead Churches as we begin to reopen our buildings and re-start our ministries.  

Clearly there are no simple strategies, but perhaps as members of congregations we can devise a plan to first identify those who are most vulnerable to being and living alone.  From this list, we can work in teams to call, email, and perhaps, while observing safety precautions, even visit and bring necessary supplies. After these initial contacts, parish ministries can join in to help with developing long term and sustainable relationships so that no one is ever alone!

The article notes that random acts of kindness can prevent a downward spiral into loneliness.  As we begin to open our doors again, let's be mindful of those who do not return, perhaps because they cannot.  And rather than move on, let's work harder as parish communities of faith to leave no one behind, especially not our elderly and most vulnerable.

RSM

The Opportunity in Reopening

Dear Friends:

As we begin to re-open our churches, I am reminded by writers of different disciplines who note that the temporary closure should actually be seen as a wake-up call for our future.  Over these last weeks, I have had plenty of opportunity to discern that warning and think about what that actually means for us here at St Teresa.

I am reminded of the words from the PASTORAL CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD, GAUDIUM ET SPES, from DECEMBER 7, 1965, which says in its Preface:

"The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts ...  Theirs is a community ... United in Christ, they are led by the Holy Spirit in their journey to the Kingdom of their Father and they have welcomed the news of salvation which is meant for every [one]."

  The echo in our hearts in these days of lockdown has provided a prayerful space for us to wrestle with our own hopes, griefs, and anxieties, and those of others.  In short, with everything taken away or severely restricted, these weeks have foisted us to return to the heart of the Gospel - which challenges all the baptized to bring the Good News of Jesus to an anxious world. There is no doubt in my mind, though, that to be successful we will need a new plan, a different strategy, new eyes, and an openness to the renewal of the Spirit that is taking place right now, even despite our denial or resistance.  Some have called this a transition from maintenance to mission.

As I noted a few weeks ago, our staff and finance council have been thinking through these matters with the assistance of Lee Kricher's book, For A New Generation, A Practical Guide for Revitalizing Your Church.  Kricher uses these five themes for this analysis:

Over the next five weeks, I will share with you some of my own thoughts and ideas, and I invite you to do the same.  With the help of the parish planning committee and finance council, we will develop a strategy for us to not only open our doors, but more importantly open our hearts to the workings of the Holy Spirit here in our midst.

As we proceed, we may find comfort in the words of St Teresa of Avila, our patroness, who said: "God withholds Himself from no one who perseveres." Together, let's persevere to not only re-open, but rebuild our Church so that the news of salvation can be shared with everyone.

Blessings to you and your loved ones today and always!

Fr Bob

A Mother's Day Message

Dear Friends,

Happy Mother’s Day!

All of us at St Teresa salute and pray for all mothers, both living and deceased on this special day – and given the circumstances, perhaps one like no other!

You may recall that Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at Saint Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Her campaign to make Mother’s Day a recognized holiday in the United States began in 1905, the year her own mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died. Ann Jarvis had been a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War and created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers because she believed a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world”.

Interestingly, although Jarvis was successful in founding Mother’s Day, she became resentful of the commercialization of the holiday. By the early 1920s, Hallmark Cards and other companies had started selling Mother’s Day cards. Jarvis believed that the companies had misinterpreted and exploited the idea of Mother’s Day, and that the emphasis of the holiday was on sentiment, not profit. As a result, she organized boycotts of Mother’s Day, and threatened to issue lawsuits against the companies involved. Jarvis argued that people should appreciate and honor their mothers through handwritten letters expressing their love and gratitude, instead of buying gifts and pre-made cards. Jarvis protested at a candy makers’ convention in Philadelphia in 1923, and at a meeting of American War Mothers in 1925.

Perhaps this year Jarvis will get her wish. While this annual celebration of the work and worth of mothers has become both a religious observance and a most profitable commercial occasion, the regular scene of stores filled with eager shoppers, striving to find something unique, or accustomed gifts and cards and flowers will certainly be different.

Perhaps this year, in gratitude for so many blessings from our mothers, including their role in caring for us in this pandemic, we will have to settle for a hand-written note or a homemade card, or a Facetime call, or a family Zoom session to tell mom how much we love and appreciate her. Perhaps this year, rather than sharing a meal together, some children will prepare and cautiously drop off a meal or a beautiful and delicious cake and take and post photos of the remote event. Perhaps this year, rather than being able to actually visit the graves or mausoleums of our deceased mothers, we will have to offer a spiritual bouquet in quiet prayer for her for now!

Needless to say, however we express our love for our mothers, with precaution and safety, the feelings are still the same and perhaps even deeper this year!

When I was a kid, growing up in my parish at Saint Paul of the Cross in Jersey City, the organist Cas Rakowski always sang this song as a Communion reflection on Mother’s Day:

M is for the MILLION things she gave you. O is only that she’s growing OLD. T is for the TEARS she shed to save you. H is for her HEART of purest gold. E is for her EYES, with love-light burning. R is RIGHT—and right she’ll always be.

Put them all together and they spell mother, the word that means the world to me!

Happy Mother’s Day to all, including my own mother Frances, who I have come to love beyond all understanding over my years on this earth!

Blessings! -Fr Bob [Thanks and credit to: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day]