Every morning in the last few days, I listen to the birds singing in our backyard at the rectory: the little sparrows, the blue jays, the cardinals, the robins and many more that I do not recognize. The birds are singing. They are not worried as many of us about continuing uncertainties and challenges. They are not listening to the news on the radio. They are just singing, singing songs of joy! As the weather has been cold and then warm again, they may believe that Spring is coming! With God it is always Spring Time! Time for Renewal and Joy!

I pray to God that we can all find the Joy of Spring in our hearts, the Joy of a new Life, the Joy of a transfiguration of our souls to be conformed to the image of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Joy of Conversion: going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, being at Peace with God, accepting God's invitation to come to the Feast on Sunday, the Wedding Feast of His Son, the prelude to the Eternal, Heavenly Banquet, receiving the Body of Christ, receiving God, the Son of God in the Eucharist , and being transformed.

I loved watching the sparrows. They look so simple, so small. They are not showing off beautiful colors. They are everywhere and they are almost invisible. Their singing is not as elaborate as that of the robins. But they are singing their simple Joy. In one of the recent daily readings at Mass (Luke 12:1-7 on Friday October 16), Jesus talked to his disciples about five sparrows (they are everywhere, even in Israel). He was warning us about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees: “I tell you my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. Be afraid of the one (devil) who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna (hell); yes, I tell you be afraid of that one. ARE NOT FIVE SPARROWS SOLD FOR TWO SMALL COINS? Yet not one of them has escaped the NOTICE OF GOD. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. DO NOT BE AFRAID? YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN MANY SPARROWS."

In the last few days, there have been more talk about a new wave of the coronavirus infection in a few states. This is a reminder that we should continue to be prudent: washing hands, wearing masks, keeping 6-foot distance. We should remain hopeful that by Christmas (two months from now), we will have made much progress about development of a vaccine and new therapeutics to reduce the risks of death for those contaminated.

As Jesus told his disciples many times, DO NOT BE AFRAID! God is always with us. If HE protects the little sparrows, how much more will HE protect us. We have now endured seven full months of the pandemic. Our churches have been reopened and people gradually are coming back to attend Mass in person. Many of you have told me, "Father, I had to come back to church. I needed to feel the presence of the parishioners at Mass. It was so beautiful to RECEIVE JESUS!“ They can see that we are taking all precautionary measures. I pray to God that in the coming weeks, more and more people will return. About half of our parishioners have now returned. Our church capacity is still limited by the 6-foot distancing. However, we have empty spaces at 5 pm and 8:30 am Masses.

Going to confession and receiving the Eucharist are a priority for all of us. They are essential sacraments on our journey of Faith. In addition, we recommend to everyone PRAY! This is a time of prayer for all of us. Come to daily Mass. Pray the Rosary every day. Come and Adore the Blessed Sacrament: spend one hour of silent prayer in front of the Lord exposed on the altar and hear the whispers of the Lord in your heart. You can hear HIM say: "Do not be afraid of the coronavirus. Be afraid of the devil, the liar that is constantly attacking the Catholic Church and all of us. Remember that God is stronger than anyone. He is fully in charge. Remember you also have a powerful guardian Angel to protect you continuously. Transform your Fear into Trust in God! Listen to the birds singing! Keep praying and feeling the Love of God in your lives." Pray for an end to the corona virus pandemic. Pray for peace in our country. Pray for peace in our own hearts. In this context, you are invited to join Fr. Ben and me any time from 10 am till 7 pm on Tuesday, November 3rd for an Adoration of Our Lord in our church. Can you spare one hour with the Lord before voting on Election Day? We need a minimum of two parishioners at all times. To sign-up, click here or call the office. As I mentioned at the end of the 10 am Mass last Sunday, you are also encouraged to go to our website to read about the Election "Prayer Balming" initiative which is organized by non-partisan Catholic lay persons and refers to special activities in Charles County including a series of prayers.

May God keep protecting our country! May our country remain united under ONE GOD!

One in Christ,

Father Alain