Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud:

“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,
or make void your covenant.
Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”

“For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation, brought low everywhere in the world this day because of our sins.“ As we sit in our living room watching the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on t.v., listening to the readings from the daily Missal, I am struck once again at the truly prophetic nature of God and His Holy Mother Church. With the fast pace in which this ‘virus’ seems to be traveling over all of the continents of our world, our president has once again imposed new guidelines for the citizens of the United States. Today, many of the bishops have made the difficult decision to close the doors to all the Catholic Masses as well, and we the faithful are left to watch the Mass on television and pray at home. Thankfully, we have EWTN, where the daily Mass is being shown several times a day, so we are still able to follow the daily readings and make a ‘Spiritual Communion’ in which to offer to the Lord.

But it just feels so different... everything about this is causing my gut to turn and topple. Last night, I was watching the news late into the evening, that coupled with a glass of iced tea, propelled me late into the wee hours of the morning, going over everything in my head.  One of the most damaging things I did during this time, was to goggle Wuhan China. Now, I am not even sure if what I viewed was the real deal or not, but it was eerie. There are street cameras all over the city, and nobody is seen in the streets. Wuhan China looks like a ghost town. It is very unsettling, to say the least.

Every time I was roused from sleep, I sat in the living room and prayed. There is such an unsettling feeling to those long hours of night when fear is attempting to gnaw at your soul… So there I sat, clinging to my rosary beads. I offered the Blessed Mother my simple prayers asking her to intercede and ask the Lord to comfort me in this time of distress. The hours dragged on. The pit of my stomach felt like a hollow void filling with anguish and (gasp!) fear, as the hours drug on, I could feel it spreading to my chest. I could actually feel my heart thumping in my chest. I prayed harder. One prayer in particular that I prayed was the final prayer from the Divine Mercy Chaplet…

“Eternal God, in Whom Mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us, and increase Your Mercy in us, so that in difficult moments, we might not despair, nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your Holy Will, Which is Love and Mercy Itself … Amen“

It wasn’t until sometime just after 4 a.m. that I was able to fall asleep. It had been a difficult night. But, God gave my tired body, and my weary soul comfort. And yet, there are still so many unanswered questions about this whole thing. And if for but a moment, I begin to take my eyes off of God,  I will wish that I hadn’t… for it is a frightful picture they are painting. The future of returning to a normal life seems to vanish the longer I listen to the news media peddle their fear. I know better. But lack of sleep makes me weak. ‘Uncharted territories’… make me uneasy… I know all of this… I have been here before… this vacuum of fear that threatens everything I have ever held close and dear. But that is why, this reading, this Word of God is so prophetic… If we calm those voices inside our heads, and place our  trust in the Lord, He will calm our hearts, and His Mercy will wash over us. Trust no man… Trust only in the Lord… God bless you my friends, stay strong.

“So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”

 Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my Trust in You.