Celebrating God’s mercy in our time of quarantine

But God’s mercy is no different today than it was when poured out as blood and water at Calvary. God is longing to drench us in his mercy even now.
    

Jesus himself gave this prayer to St. Faustina in the 1930s: “For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” This year, we may hope his mercy will look something like this: Patients being taken off ventilators, breathing freely on their own. People leaving their homes, meeting together without fear of infection. Doctors, nurses and other health care workers coming home from a normal shift and hugging their children. Schools opening their doors to students. Grocery shelves filled with the usual necessities of life. And churches filled with the faithful, grateful to receive the “real presence” of Jesus in the holy sacrament, “containing within it all delight.”
    

While we beg God to have mercy on us by removing this disease from the earth, let’s not miss the myriad opportunities of experiencing his mercy throughout each day.
    

Our family has experienced so much of God’s grace during this quarantine. We live at a slower pace, being present to one another, giving attention to the things that really matter. We are more aware of the beauty of God’s creation in our own backyard. We take walks together as a family every day, greeting all the other families in the neighborhood who are doing the same thing (from a distance, of course).

 

We are catching up on our reading, playing music and praying more. We are learning to use technology to connect with family members, celebrate birthdays and make each other laugh. We are checking in with friends across the country, renewing relationships, strengthening our ties to the body of Christ. And, every Sunday, our little domestic church gathers around a screen to celebrate Mass virtually, longing for the day when we can do it in person. 
    

Even though many activities and church services have been canceled, these things have not been canceled: faith, hope, love and joy. The mercies of the Lord are new every morning. Let’s immerse ourselves in his mercy. 

    

“In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith ... may prove to be for praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6).
    

Leslie Bertucci attended Dominican High School and Loyola University. She has been married to Johnny Bertucci since 1985 and has five children and two grandchildren. The youngest is a student at Archbishop Hannan High School.

 

Since 1982, she has been a catechist, youth minister, retreat leader, homeschool teacher, conference speaker, choir director and worship leader, and, with Johnny, founded the Sanctifire Youth Group at St. Anselm in Madisonville in 2000. She also leads the NoLoudRocks Worship Band, which includes two of her sons.  Leslie does her best to live by the motto: “Just show up, just say yes, God will take care of the rest!