Holyrood Church 715 West 179 Street, Upper West side Manhattan, USA, 212-923-3770

Peace and confidence in the midst of the storm

 

Good morning, happy Saturday, and many blessings.
 
I remind you that tomorrow Sunday we will have our masses in English & ASL at 10:00 am and in Spanish & ASL at 12:00 pm. Both will be broadcast live on Facebook. Connect: https://m.facebook.com/HolyroodSCruz/.
 
The gospel for today in John 6:16-21, tells us the story of when Jesus suddenly appeared to the disciples when they were dealing with a very serious problem. Interesting in this narrative is that Jesus, without receiving an invitation, arrives at the disciples when they are going through a turbulent moment. Nobody invites him, he invites himself. He sees his children in trouble and goes looking for them. This is a good way to know that Jesus is always watching over us. Especially when despair does not let me see or feel it, he is there by my side.
 
It is not difficult to notice that the disciples at no time were waiting for Jesus. For a moment when dealing with the problems of the storm - problems of daily living - they filled with fear. Fear is an emotional state that arises in response to consciousness in a situation of eventual danger. In psychology, fear is a defense mechanism, psychological and physiological, that allows the living being to stay away or on the defensive and ensure its survival in the event of possible danger. But the most important thing in all this is what Jesus says to them and to us: "It is me, it’s all right, do not be afraid."
 
So, what we learn from this story. Jesus is the one who goes away from his disciples. That’s us now. Jesus is away. And while he goes away, he commands his disciples into difficulty and hardship. And that is you and me. We strain and struggle against the problems of living (hunger, unemployment, coronavirus, etc.). And perhaps we find that things just keep going wrong, blindsiding us. Waves crash over us from port, starboard, fore, and aft. But Jesus is always close at hand, even when far away. He said, “Surely I am with you always, even unto the end of the age”. And he is. This is our faith. He knows his disciples’ needs before they cry out. And this Jesus who did this on the Sea of Galilee back then is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
 
This is what I need you to remember: First, right now we are all faced with a storm that scares us to death – the storm is called Coronavirus. Second, that Jesus is in the midst of our storm, we are not alone. Jesus comes to us without an invitation because he loves us. Imagine how great it will be when you invite him to be with you. And it is what he wants. Dare yourself! And third, we need to learn to face our fears with faith. Always keep in your mind the promise that God made to the prophet Isaiah (41:10): "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
 
In other words, know that fear is real, but also that you can be overcome. Let Jesus get into your boat.
 
Blessings

Fr.  Luis+

Date news: 
Saturday, April 25, 2020 - 20:00

Ministry at the time of Coronavirus (Covid 19): Prevent, cure and accompany

Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.

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