Photo: joyfruit (pixabay.com)
By Easter Almuena
Special to the Herald
If there was a time in our existence when we needed to read the Bible more, that time would be now.
A few months ago, when the coronavirus shut down churches in Hawaii, it was so difficult not receiving Jesus daily in the Eucharist. I missed the Eucharist so much. But I had no intention of allowing myself to wallow in pity for my soul. There are, after all, two parts of the Mass: Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Since the Eucharist was not available for consumption, I grappled to focus on the Word of God.
My thoughts were that I was pretty sure I was grounded in Scripture because I attended the daily online Mass with the Word of Lord. I also read the Book of Sirach nearly every day. And I pray with my husband the Liturgy of the Hours, which contains many Scripture passages. But there still was a feeling of inadequacy.
As I started reading the Readings of the Day before attending the online Mass, I discovered a sense of completeness developing inside of me. Longing to appreciate the Readings of the Day more, I would read them the night before and re-read them the following day. I would also read Bishop Robert Barron’s daily reflections. I would dwell on the Word with so much peace inside of me and contemplate how it applied to my life. My days were peaceful. I had a growing zest to do more and explore new things to occupy myself during the lockdown.
I was falling increasingly in love with God’s Word. I noticed that I was sleeping better. Then my pastor, Father Pascual Abaya, called to ask if I would be the lector for Bishop Larry Silva’s livestreamed online Masses during the lockdown. With my husband, Joe, who served as deacon for the Masses, and I joining the crew of nine people, there would be less chance of contact with COVID-19. I was surprised to find myself not too excited about the opportunity of receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
It was not that I did not long to receive Jesus in the Eucharist; it was that I was becoming secure in the Word of God, the Word who is Jesus himself. Yes, I am glad to be back to Mass! However, with the increase of COVID-19 cases rising, the churches could close again. The Eucharist could be taken away from us once again, but the Word remains. If the world ends now, the Eucharist will end as well. The Word of God remains.