8/15/2021

A blessed feast of the Assumption to all of you!
I am concerned with the increase of COVID in our area, but in consultation with a number of you, there is little or no desire to make wearing masks mandatory. The reasons are many, both pro and con, and I have no intention to rehashing them here – you may have come to church precisely to get away from this discussion. Suffice to say that we will have the communion ministers wear masks and sanitize their hands. Parishioners who wish to wear masks to Mass are most welcome to, and those who do not are welcome as well. I ask that we peacefully and respectfully coexist at Mass, allowing the Holy Spirit to unite us into the one Body of Christ, male or female, Gentile or Jew, masked or unmasked. I also understand if you feel it necessary to stay away from crowds at this time. If you don’t feel well, by all means please do not come! I do not think that we are going to get directives from the diocese, though perhaps we will from local health officials. Please pray for an end to this pandemic!
There is a new creation which was inaugurated with the Resurrection of Christ. Through our baptism, we are part of that new creation as well as the old. The two creations co-exist until the final coming of Christ, when the old creation will pass away and the new creation will be the order for the rest of eternity. Until that end comes, we have choices to make: choose death, egoism of self-aggrandizement, and control on the one hand, or choose to love self-sacrificially, live forever in union with the Trinity, and allow the Lord to guide our thoughts and choices on the other hand. The tension between the new and old creations can be seen here in the United States whenever the spiritual values of the gospel confront the secular values of society. Our desire to respect life from conception to death runs counter to contraception, abortion, and euthanasia. Our desire to feed all peoples and allow all humans to have food, clothing, and shelter runs counter to the penchant to collect as much wealth as possible which is admired in our culture – for example, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, etc. are often cited as people to be envied and emulated by many in our culture because of their wealth more than anything else. Our spiritual vision of the new creation sees some good things and some bad in each of our political parties, in the laws passed by our government, and the customs and practices of our culture. It seems that we are destined to be at odds in this world with any vision which does not recognize the transcendent dimension of our purpose in life. Today’s Feast of the Assumption directs our gaze toward the end of the old creation and the triumph of the new as it plays out in Mary, the Mother of God. It is a reminder that we were made for more than the temporal wealth and success which serves as a means attaining our deepest desires – ultimate union with the Lord for all eternity. Eternal membership in the community of the Trinity is our destiny.
Each Eucharist is a reminder of that calling, that transcendent destiny which gives our lives ultimate meaning. We come together to thank the Lord for His interest in us, in sharing his life with us. That is why it is always a joy to celebrate the Eucharist with you! May you have a blessed Feast of the Assumption.

Father Albert, O.S.B.