This pandemic is not only a threat to our health but our trust in God. Our Campus Ministry staff is making sure to remind the Concordia community of this throughout our stay-at-home period. Since its founding, the Marian Library has documented diverse expressions of popular devotion to Mary. Here you will find sources for daily prayers and meditations to feed your faith. Originally published Monday, 16 March 2020. To be human is to stand suspended over a chasm. Look to God in the midst of your daily challenges.By noon, most of us have already faced challenges, and we may think we can handle these things alone; but the Lord says otherwisewe must look to and depend on Him. He wants us to trust Him for guidance and protection each day. 4. It . Although everything is changing at rapid speed, God is not. Take a deep breath. Before too long, we went back to our offices so we could complete all of the Holy Week tasks that still needed to be done. All rights reserved. Psalm 60 reminds us that in times of hardship, God shakes us loose in confession and repentance. practice social distancing and be free of COVID-19 symptoms. In some circumstances, they may contaminate surfaces they touch. Copyright 2023 Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Irondale, Alabama. Thank you for being my hope and strength today. The world slows to a still. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced the coronavirus (or Covid-19) a pandemic. And the affliction stretches swiftly across the land like a darkening tide. . These droplets and particles can be breathed in by other people or land on their eyes, noses, or mouth. First Friday ~ 1 October 2021. Stay home and use your telehealth benefit, Part 1: Encouragement for parents on shifting perspectives during COVID-19. Let us pray that we be worthy of linking our heart with his love and of wounding it with a lance, for it is still hard and impenitent. Ive heard people blame globalization, secretive governments, unequal access to health care, an unregulated market that made it easy for a virus to jump across the animal-human barrier, the narcissism and denial of world leaders, people who dont cough into their elbows, climate change, delayed test kits, cruise ships, handshakes, pangolins, political appointments motivated by loyalty instead of competence, overcrowded prisons and detention centers, open work spaces, communion by intinction, and asymptomatic carriers. Fear can rob us of three essential gifts from God that we desperately need at this time. Prayerful meditation through the Stations of the Cross is especially common during Lent and on Fridays throughout the year, in commemoration of Christ's Crucifixion on Good Friday.The devotion may be done individually or in a group and is particularly important in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions. In 1824, Pope Leo XII pronounced Margaret Mary Venerable. All rights reserved. On March 13, 2020, the United States President Donald Trump announced the coronavirus pandemic to be a national emergency. Looking to the Shepherd reminds us how He cares for us, and we have no need to fear. Primary and secondary sources in the Marian Library photographs, pamphletsand artifacts depict Marys role in medical cures and miracles at the shrine in Lourdes, France. Facts . We didnt say anything to each other; we just kept singing, back and forth across an empty church, alternating between Christs reproaches to us and our pleading calls for Gods mercy. | Irondale, AL 35210 |. practice social distancing and be free of COVID-19 symptoms. This practice was done not only because people cannot go out of the house to engage in religious activitiesbut this also is an invocation of the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints whose images are put near the window in a manner that they are looking out as an act of request/appeal for God to help us. Ibid. As people worldwide have contended with the coronavirus pandemic, many turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary. . I pray for those who are illthat you will heal them. In times of crisis, such as the coronavirus pandemic, it helps to be intentionally in prayer. You will give me wisdom as I seek Your perspective in Your Word. 26-32). Pray to God before falling asleep.Dear Father God, thank you for being my help todayperhaps in ways I have not seen. And if they dont know You, I ask You to use their tough circumstances to draw them and show them their need for salvation in Jesus. It featured Our Lady of Guadalupe and her immaculate heart surrounded by vibrant flowers and patterns. Sheand her husband Bob live in Southern California. The list was first tabulated in a booklet published in French in 1863. As plans increased to combat the spread of this disease, anxieties increased as well. For instance, while the published promises are in direct speech, St. Margaret Mary always used indirect speech: "Our Lord has made known to me that he would bless the homes in which the image of my heart ." The direct form could indicate the Jesus dictated them to the visionary, which is not usually the case. Our cantor, Dan, was standing by the font. Alternatively, mirata or merely gazing at the presence of the image is enough (Aguinaldo, 2002, pp. But bishops in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and other states have issued dispensations from this rule due to the social and economic upheaval caused by the pandemic. When she is not folding laundry or playing blocks you will find her with her head deep in her Bible or a commentary. First Friday Devotions are offered in Immaculate Conception Chapel. I was aware of the growing concerns of the coronavirus, but I wasnt quite sure of its effects on peoples buying decisions quite yet until I started looking for toilet paper. O Lord, hear our prayer. Dan was rehearsing the Solemn Reproaches, which he would be leading at that evenings service. 3. . 1. Even in the midst of COVID-19, we are united by Christ's love and redemption for us all. ", 10. that apparitions allegedly occurring on the 2nd of each month at Medjugorje have stopped. To mark the day, the Holy Father offered a reflection and prayer to the faithful in the . The pandemic seems to have We also have family members who are mentally ill and live with anxiety and fear every day, all the time. ", 11. 5. You may start any month or may decide to do this as a yearly novena and begin every first month of the year, in January. Love enables us to share and sacrifice when its not convenient. 229E (alpha coronavirus) NL63 (alpha coronavirus) Philippians 4:6 tells us: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6 ESV). Devotional booklets to use during crisis situations The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod provides four devotional booklets to bring God's comfort and peace during the coronavirus pandemic and other crisis situations. St. Margaret Mary died Oct. 17, 1690. Enable us to throw our cares onto you, our mighty God. Count on God for this day. updated: Feb 24 2023, 22:35 ist. The world has been plunged into a state of uncertainty and fear by the coronavirus pandemic. Our faith can be steady because our God is faithfully unchanging. The world slows to a still. We pray for those touched by the coronavirus, those who face sorrow, fear, illness and isolation. [CDATA[// >