First, I am still a river of tears, each time I attend the livestreamed mass at 1215 noon at Holy Family Catholic Church, Artesia and right after, a rosary, at the request of Pope Francis. March 19 is St. Joseph’s Feast, and Fr. John Cordero’s beautiful homily exhorted us to follow St. Joseph’s example who was secretly contemplating to divorce Mary when she got pregnant. Instead, the angel appeared to tell him, wait and follow God’s guidance. He waited, reflected, then received God’s guidance and protected the Holy Family. He told us in our unique situation today to also pause, reflect and witness God’s hand in our lives.
March 19 – 292 of us attended the livestreamed, while 444 of us prayed the rosary together. March 18 – 143 of us watched the mass and day before that, 94 of us. Yes, the pews are empty. But more and more are joining Facebook live. Thank you to the IT folks of Holy Family in Artesia and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg for inventing this social cyberspace tool.
March 20, 2020’s homily is on “Pure Love for others and the common good.” Let us stay home because we want to protect each other. Look after the common good and beyond our own needs. Live of neighbor surpasses and is greater than masses daily and more than the live fires of burnt offerings. Love is actively sacrificing for others. Today, 255 of us attended the mass.
Second, I joined the rosary with Lourdes folks, 2,500 of us praying together.
Third, my sweet favorite daughter included us in her lunch special purchase and included our sweet octogenarian neighbor, Larry who sweetly shared his salmon dinner, our treat for his goodness, with another neighbor, Bonnie. How sweet it is to thread these acts of kindness. Today, it is salad with macaroni meat sauce for just $10. These restaurants are not making profits at all. They just want to keep us alive.
Fourth, it broke my heart to not be able to hug my 5 year old granddaughter and she left quite sad that she could not come inside our house. How do you explain the invisible lurking Grim Ripper? I had to tell her “hug tight in the air,” and blew kisses to her while I told her loudly, we love you very much. I sign off my phone calls now with I love you very much!
Who knows what tomorrow brings but, like my other Mother said, Maura Brito, “God is stronger than this Coronavirus. I told her to stay home for 2 Saturdays and I will mail her check just the same. She said no, “We are in this together and we will live within our means.” I am pretty lucky to be surrounded by intrinsically morally good, luminous folks.
Fifth, I tuned in to the Q and A of Mark Zuckerberg with the credible and trusted Dr. Fauci. I learned that several cures are awaiting approvals of FDA. Mark asked why wait for these safety studies – why not give it to folks now? Dr. Fauci responded about how the treatment cannot be harmful and cause death or replication of the virus. We cannot simply give a drug like experimental drugs for HIV which ended up killing more people. He did say the vaccine has been tested on a healthy human being, we are awaiting results and safety studies but to ramp up that production will take a year and a half.
Sixth, I always look forward to a good doctor’s text to me at midnight, after her shift. She texted me that a patient is being intubated and got the anti malarial drug treatment. Let’s all pray that young individual lives to tell us his experience and that the drug works for him. A Hawaii Five O actor contracted Coronavirus, is isolating himself, but has very minimal symptoms. Lesson – if you are fit and healthy, you suffer less. But, he needs to self-isolate to protect others from not getting it.
Seventh, I caught the bees pollinating our orange blossoms, the fragrant white flowers.
And to keep my heart open, still talking to family via phone calls. Today, I realize, this Easter 2020, we will all see God’s worldwide miracles – we all need to be more humane, stop the endless wars, vote those moral folks into public office and kick out immoral leaders occupying spaces in public, private and even church institutions. It is so comforting to see Holy priests like Fr. Rodel G.Balagtas and Pilgrimage Group of Father John Cordero stay Holy and optimistic about God’s healing powers, Mama Mary’s intercession and our global recovery and survival from #CoronaVirus.
The rainbows are all over us, showing up in Monrovia yesterday and even Christine Anne Ho has been catching those images.
I love you all. #WewillSurvive by #Lovingkindness just like my favorite son and daughter are modeling their finest examples of critical loving care. Oh God, if you take me with this disease, please let it be in my sleep.