WORSHIPPING IN A COVID-19 CHURCH
Third of a three part series by fellow parishioners

To My Family and Friends of Sacred Heart of Jesus,

Before I begin my reflection on our lives and the Coronavirus, I
would like to thank Father Andy and Gayle Castellani for the
honor of allowing me to express myself to our beautiful Parish!
Now my reflection on the Coronavirus:

This virus began and affected all of our lives back in the beginning
of March 2020 and it continues as I write my reflections to you all
today. The virus itself is like a horror movie without an ending. So
many different stories and developments have surfaced about this
horrific pandemic. This has stricken all of our lives as we know life
to be.

I, like so many of us, have asked the question, “why?” This
pandemic has tried to destroy and taken so many lives, hurt our
economy, ravish our lands, and continues to spread pain and
suffering to our nation and the world! But as I watch Sunday Mass
with Father Andy and our beloved Sacred Heart Church, I realize
that no matter what the evils of this dreaded virus may be, it could
not stop the Word of God!

I believe The Lord is in each and every one of us and we were all
created in the likeness of God, who is Divine and Beautiful! We
must all follow God’s teachings and pray everyday. Be good to
each other, be kind to one another, love one another, and be
thankful for all our Prayers and Blessings.
This is a prayer I say everyday to Our Lord:
“Surrender your Life to God and He will guide us all to our paths
in our lives!”

Let us pray to end the evil in our world, the racism, the violent
protesting, and the hate.
Let us help one another and be kind to one another, love one
another and learn to forgive one another. By doing so, we will all
be in Our Lord’s Graces.
The virus has shown how powerless we all are. It has taught us to
focus on the important things in our lives that are needed: praying,
loving, kindness, and hope.

I know in my heart that this will all end in its time. And when this
is all over let us have a better world than we had before this all
began. I truly believe this is our test for humanity. Let us all go out
in our world and remember to be kind to one another and thank
God for always being there for us.

Knowing God is always there is what helps us all get through our
days. Please be safe. God bless everyone.

Sincerely,

Robert Castellani, Forest City