Message to St Jude Parishioners - 3 April 2020

Hello to all of our St Jude parishioners:

This is a very surreal time we are living in, isn’t it?  When I was a missionary, I had to come up with very creative ways to reach out to the people and to bring the faith to them, but I never realized that we would have to be this creative here in the Diocese of Jackson in order to fulfill our mandate to live out our Catholic faith.  We are thinking of creative ways to reach out to all of you.  I have enjoyed the daily masses we have been able to have on-line.  I feel the presence of those of you who are joining us on Facebook Live, as we celebrate the mass together.  It is certainly not the same as a public mass, but based on the circumstances, it is the best we can do right now.

I think that all of us are looking for consolation and comfort in our faith right now.  I quoted this prayer below when I sent out an email to all the chancery staff earlier in the week.  It is from one of my favorite saints: St Teresa of Avila.  A Carmelite nun from the 16th century, Teresa was a mystic, a theologian, and a reformer of her religious order.  She lived in a very turbulent time right after the Protestant Reformation and during the Spanish Inquisition.  She experienced a lot of turmoil and challenges during her lifetime.  I love this short prayer of hers, which provides me consolation during the challenging times we are going through: 

Let nothing disturb you,

Let nothing frighten you,

All things are passing away:

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things

Whoever has God lacks nothing;

God alone suffices.

Blessings to all of you this week.  

Father Lincoln