03/23/2020
A message from Bishop Peter Christensen:
Day of Prayer and Fasting
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Due to the protections we have put in place in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are unable to gather for the Eucharist. This is an unprecedented occasion of great sadness for us all.
As we experience concern about the health of our loved ones, we are particularly challenged by that absence. The Eucharist is normally our ultimate source of sustenance and strength. We may wonder: What hope can be found in this loss? What spiritual food can nourish us during those times when we hunger for the Eucharist but are denied access to the table of the Lord?
We must continue to seek some source of spiritual unity, some expression of our faith in the Father as His children. To that end, I am calling for a Day of Prayer and Fasting next Friday, March 27, throughout our Diocese. By praying and fasting together, our anxiety is transformed into prayer as we say, “Lord, into your hands I place my life. I trust in you.” Together our fasting (from food, social media, etc.) becomes a way for us to express with our whole being our faith in God’s healing compassion. By our fasting, we will remember that we hunger for the Lord more than we hunger for anything.
Please share this request with the members of your parishes and communities. Meanwhile, remind the faithful that they can make an act of spiritual communion when they follow the Masses that are being live-streamed throughout the country and in our diocese. Some of those can be found on catholictv.org or WatchTheMass.com.
We pray that soon we will be able to celebrate Mass as a community again, offering our Eucharistic thanksgiving together. What a joyful day that will be! Until that time, we are sustained by our trust in God’s promise that He will be with us always, until the end of time.