Good Advice for Catholics and the Corona Virus
Apr 6, 2020 23:28:09 GMT
Post by agnes on Apr 6, 2020 23:28:09 GMT
Here are some suggestions that we think are particularly appropriate to this difficult time:
Use the Daily News for Prayer. Watch only as much of the daily news as is essential. Don't drown yourself in 24/7 coverage that repeats the same message over and over again, usually with an uninformed, pessimistic, and pagan slant. Then turn that news into your personal prayer the sick and troubled, remaining calm with trust in the Lord and your Catholic Faith.
Use the Extra Time for Spiritual Reading. The possibilities here are almost limitless. In first place, particularly during this Passiontide, you should focus on the significance of these special days by meditating upon the Holy Gospels, particularly the sections narrating the Passion of Our Lord. The Seven Penitential Psalms are particularly appropriate to Lent and Passiontide (this is the Catholic Latin Vulgate numbering, not the Protestant King James numbering):
Psalm 6 (Domine, ne in furore)
Psalm 31 (Beati quorum)
Psalm 37 (Domine, ne in furore)
Psalm 50 (Miserere)
Psalm 101 (Domine, exaudi)
Psalm 129 (De profundis)
Psalm 142 (Domine, exaudi)
Do Not Worry about Tomorrow. Take each day as it comes and trust in the Lord that all will be as it should. Remember Our Lord's prescription: "Be not therefore solicitous for tomorrow: for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof" (Matthew 6:42/DRV).
Keep up Your Catholic Outreach. E-mail, write, and phone family, friends, fellow members in your traditional Catholic church, chapel, or oratory. Think about what others' condition may be more than your own and encourage them to keep the Faith and trust in the Lord.
Use Short Aspirations to Our Lord, Our Lady, and the Saints throughout the Day. When you place your trust in the Lord, there is a calmness and peace about passing problems. Short Psalm verses are ideal to remind us to give ourselves confidence in the Lord, such as:
Deus meus, in te confido; non erubescam (Ps. 24:2). In three, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed.
Dominus, illuminatio mea et salus mea, quem timebo? Dominus protector vitae meae, a quo trepidabo? (Ps. 26:1). The Lord is my light and my salvation: Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: Of whom shall I be afraid?
In te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum (Ps. 30:2). In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded.
Thank the Lord for All that You Do Have. St. Paul constantly reminds us in his Epistles to be thankful. It is particularly in times of difficulty that we should remind ourselves how much God has given us and how ungrateful we have been for His gifts. The prayer that is appointed for grace after meals is ideal and can be used any time: Agimus tibi gratias, omnipotens Deus, pro omnibus beneficiis tuis. Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen. [We give thee thanks, almighty God, for all your blessings. Who livest and reignest throughout all the ages of the ages. Amen.]
Use the Daily News for Prayer. Watch only as much of the daily news as is essential. Don't drown yourself in 24/7 coverage that repeats the same message over and over again, usually with an uninformed, pessimistic, and pagan slant. Then turn that news into your personal prayer the sick and troubled, remaining calm with trust in the Lord and your Catholic Faith.
Use the Extra Time for Spiritual Reading. The possibilities here are almost limitless. In first place, particularly during this Passiontide, you should focus on the significance of these special days by meditating upon the Holy Gospels, particularly the sections narrating the Passion of Our Lord. The Seven Penitential Psalms are particularly appropriate to Lent and Passiontide (this is the Catholic Latin Vulgate numbering, not the Protestant King James numbering):
Psalm 6 (Domine, ne in furore)
Psalm 31 (Beati quorum)
Psalm 37 (Domine, ne in furore)
Psalm 50 (Miserere)
Psalm 101 (Domine, exaudi)
Psalm 129 (De profundis)
Psalm 142 (Domine, exaudi)
Do Not Worry about Tomorrow. Take each day as it comes and trust in the Lord that all will be as it should. Remember Our Lord's prescription: "Be not therefore solicitous for tomorrow: for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof" (Matthew 6:42/DRV).
Keep up Your Catholic Outreach. E-mail, write, and phone family, friends, fellow members in your traditional Catholic church, chapel, or oratory. Think about what others' condition may be more than your own and encourage them to keep the Faith and trust in the Lord.
Use Short Aspirations to Our Lord, Our Lady, and the Saints throughout the Day. When you place your trust in the Lord, there is a calmness and peace about passing problems. Short Psalm verses are ideal to remind us to give ourselves confidence in the Lord, such as:
Deus meus, in te confido; non erubescam (Ps. 24:2). In three, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed.
Dominus, illuminatio mea et salus mea, quem timebo? Dominus protector vitae meae, a quo trepidabo? (Ps. 26:1). The Lord is my light and my salvation: Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: Of whom shall I be afraid?
In te, Domine, speravi; non confundar in aeternum (Ps. 30:2). In thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded.
Thank the Lord for All that You Do Have. St. Paul constantly reminds us in his Epistles to be thankful. It is particularly in times of difficulty that we should remind ourselves how much God has given us and how ungrateful we have been for His gifts. The prayer that is appointed for grace after meals is ideal and can be used any time: Agimus tibi gratias, omnipotens Deus, pro omnibus beneficiis tuis. Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen. [We give thee thanks, almighty God, for all your blessings. Who livest and reignest throughout all the ages of the ages. Amen.]