There are no easy answers!

“There are no easy answers”.  This was part of a post I made on FB yesterday.  I have always believed this and never more so than recently and especially yesterday.  If you want to get down to it and if we tried hard enough, we could probably find a Bible passage to fit every decision that has been made by the Government and the authorities of our One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church regarding this “pandemic”.  (it does strike me that, if we add “on” between the “de” and “mic”, the whole situation has a different “wisdom”.)  As for the authorities, only God knows if they are truly listening or if it is a case of “demanding a king”.

What do I mean by demanding a king?  In recent months, it seems every time I pray, I include “Only if this request is Your true desire and not a King request”.  Why?  Because it has weighed heavy on my heart that God told His people, (through the prophet Samuel), that they did not need a king, but they would not listen.  So, God gave them a king and we all know how that turned out, AT FIRST.  (I will explain the “at first” at the end).

“There are no easy answers”.  This is all I have thought about for the last 72 hrs.  It began with the wording of an announcement at my local Parish. Then, our good Bishop posted that he was seriously considering the cancellations of all public Holy Masses.  Then that decision was made.  I was devastated.  My mind raced with how to deal with this decision.  Prayers intensified for trust that God was in control.

I called my sister to give her the news.  While speaking with her, I suddenly remembered that she belongs to a different Diocese.  I THOUGHT I had the answer.  They had not cancelled/suspended Holy Mass, yet.   When she confirmed, that since it was Lent, they were having daily Mass, I THOUGHT this was an answer to my prayers since normally, due to the lack of Priests and the dynamics of their area, they normally do not.  I planned on going to Exposition of the Holy Eucharist at opening in my Parish, and, then going to Holy Mass at hers.

That is how this day started.  I had full intention of carrying out that plan.  I arrived at my Parish at 6:15ish. I left at 7:45 to head to the Rosary and Holy Mass at my sister’s Parish.  Before I left, an “anticipatory peace” filled me.  If you have never experienced this, it is hard to explain, but it is a peace where you know He is about to do something.  I THOUGHT it was because I found a “work around” to the decision made by my Diocese, but I was wrong (or at least, for now, I believe I was).

As I was driving, He reminded me of all the ways He had prepared me for yesterday.  He reminded me of a personal mandate He had given me about reception of Holy Eucharist and the danger of disobeying that mandate due to a directive in that Diocese. Then, He reminded me that my main prayers, for oh so long now, have been for unity in the Truth and for trust, not only that He was in control, but that He was refilling His Holy Church with good and faithful servants.  He laid on my heart that I must be obedient and united with my fellow members of my Diocese.  I felt He was telling me that the greater sacrifice and offering to Him would be to stand by my Bishop’s decision.

I will continue to pray for guidance and discernment, but for now, I choose to accept the decision of my Bishop, and stand with my Diocese by not attending Holy Mass in the other Diocese.

“There are no easy answers”.  Another thing that God reminded me was that He has demonstrated over and over that even when faithful servants in their humanity might fail to hear or understand His true Will, He would still make good of the situation.  The results of His people demanding a king, despite Samuel’s warning, were, to say the least, not what they expected.  But out of their decision, God gave us David.  Through David’s lineage, He gave us His Only Begotten Son and Savior.  God knew His people would not listen to Him.  He knew that they thought they knew what they needed, what was right, what was best for the “common good”.   Despite their not listening, He took their decision and gave us the greatest Gift to mankind.

Do not get me wrong, although I cannot in good conscience say I agree with the decision to cancel/suspend, I am NOT saying it is not the decision that pleases God most.  But what I am saying is that even if it is not, I trust that God will not only make good of the situation, but that He will do amazing things with it!

God knows “There are no easy answers”.  All He asks is that, in sincere humility, we know that He knows and then His Mercy and Love will provide!