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Public Masses Resume Saturday, May 23, 2020

5/15/2020

“Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy, my delight” (Psalm 43:4).

St. Aidan Catholic Church will resume the public celebration of Mass, Reconciliation, and devotions beginning the weekend of May 23rd & 24th, following our usual schedule.

It is important to be aware that the faithful are dispensed from their Sunday Mass obligation through September 6th. They are to make an effort to participate in (or view) the livestream (or recorded) Mass, and should spend time in prayer in honor of the Lord’s Day.

Please avail yourselves of the directives for resumption of public Masses via this link: aod.org/emergencyresponse#directives.

Additionally:

St. Aidan has the good fortune of having a large “overflow” space attached to the main church to permit social distancing guidelines.

Mass will start and end with the Presider in the sanctuary.

We will distribute Holy Communion in the hand only.

There may be alternative distribution stations to assist in physical distancing.

Singing will be minimized in the Liturgy.

Sunday Masses will continue to be live-streamed starting at 9:30 on 5/24 (@10am on 5/17).

Please consider bringing your own hand sanitizer and face protection.

The best way to follow the liturgy is on your own mobile device: usccb.org/bible/readings/, or apps like iMissal or iBreviary. There are missalettes stored in the baptistry coat closet. You are welcome to obtain one before Mass, take it home, and use it each week. Do not return it.

If able, consider offering assistance in sanitizing the building after Mass.

Daily Mass and devotions will take place in the main church for the present.

We are all new to this, and while there may be anxiety, if we work with a positive attitude and trust in the Holy Spirit we will grow comfort levels.

Did you click on the link and read the directives? They are important.

If you have not already, please assist us in making your donation electronically: pushpay.com/g/staidanlivonia. Also, during weekend Masses, baskets for offerings will be on the floor of the sanctuary.

Please be patient with responses to any questions this new plan may elicit. We appreciate them and will do our best to address them.
Sincerely,

David J. Conrad
Pastoral Associate

Mass for Sunday of the Fifth Week of Easter - May 10, 2020

5/11/2020

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled

5/10/2020

Today we hear Jesus tell us “You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” We are called to commit our whole self to God, yet He knows how we are swayed and side-tracked by our feelings. (Remember last week when we were warned not to follow other voices?) The Psalm today says: “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.” We know that sometimes trusting is so very difficult, and so we may be comforted this Fifth Sunday of Easter by Jesus’ words: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Easy to say, hard to do… He tells us, though, that He goes to prepare a place for us and he will come back and take us to himself. Focusing on that part of our faith may go a long way to still troubled hearts.

Faith takes us beyond our limited understanding. We are constrained by human logic and reason, and faith helps us to curb our mediocre impulses and our compromises with “The Way.” Jesus is clear today: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” If we live in His way, we will know the truth, and we will live our human and eternal lives with him. This is the challenge! This is our call as disciples of Christ.

So, let’s talk about the challenge of Gospel living. We are in the midst of a time of turmoil: sickness and sorrow, greed and joblessness, the best and the worst of human behavior expressed. These are things we have always had to face—just not on the scale that it is happening with this pandemic. These times in particular, are times of testing and grace.

We are armed for confronting these moments of despair and darkness, though. St. John Eudes expresses it this way: “All that is Christ’s is yours: his spirit, his heart, his body and soul, and all his faculties. You must make use of all these as of your own, to serve, praise, love, and glorify God. He longs for you to use all that is in you, as if it were his own, for the service and glory of the Father.” This is “The Way.” This is the way we are called to live—in love and respect.

St. Peter reminds us today that we “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Wow! It is a great responsibility to live as a Christian! But remember: let not your hearts be troubled—as we have all that we need to cope with turmoil: our faith, hope and love and our support for and from our families, friends and Communities.

We know that if we live “The Way” we are living the truth; we are living the life that God wants for all his children; we are living up to our potential and God’s plan for us all. The reward is an untroubled heart and a heavenly dwelling place and communion with Christ, here and now, and always.
Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

Just a Note: Happy Mother’s Day!

In thinking about Mothers today, (I miss mine and my Mom-in-law), I know we all understand the power of a mother’s love and the work and change that can be wrought by even a single woman and her influence in any situation. The Bible is full of stories about a woman whose actions changes the course of a situation—like the influence many of our mothers have on us. Women from the Old Testament: Moses' mother (as protector), Deborah (wisdom, leadership, and courage), Hannah (gives the gift of her son back to God), Ruth (faithfulness)—to name a few. In the New Testament in Jesus' life and ministry the power of one woman is demonstrated again and again through any number of different women. His mother, Mary (first and foremost), Martha and Mary, Mary Magdalene, Dorcas, Phoebe, and Priscilla (in the early Christian movement) to name some. These examples remind us of the power that any one godly and loving woman (like our Moms), may have to influence us and others about the things that matter to God. So celebrate—if you have been “Mother” to anyone in any way. You are living the Gospel we are called to live.

Some interesting quotes about mothers--

Harriet Beecher Stowe: “Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.”

Robert A. Heinlein: “Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.”

George Eliot:” Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.”

Abraham Lincoln: “All that I am, or can be, I owe to my angel mother.”

Rumi: “We are born of love; love is our mother.”

John Gray: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”

J.K. Rowling: “Love as powerful as a mother’s for you leaves it’s own mark…”

Napoleon Bonaparte: “Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.”

Rudyard Kipling: “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”

Proverbs 31:28: “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her.”

Two children ordered their mother to stay in bed one Mother's Day morning. As she lay there looking forward to being brought breakfast in bed, the smell of bacon floated up from the kitchen. Finally, the children called her to come downstairs. She found them both sitting at the table eating bacon and eggs. “As a surprise for Mother's Day,” one explained, “we decided to cook our own breakfast.”

Moms, have a great day!

Enjoy some lovely music from Julliard…

A Dramatic Performance by Juilliard Students Brings a Socially Distant Approach to Ravel's Boléro

Maurice Ravel's Boléro is a particularly collaborative composition in that it passes the melodic theme through a series of solos. The sequential performances highlight the distinct tones and sounds of each instrument, whether it be a flute, violin, or the anomalous saxophone.

www.thisiscolossal.com

May is Mary's Month

5/7/2020

The month of May is traditionally dedicated to Mary in many cultures for it is considered the season of the beginning of new life. Mary, being the Mother of our Savior, is thus associated with springtime. These roots run deep. In ancient Greek culture, May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fruitfulness. In Roman culture, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of blossoms. The Romans celebrated, “ludi florales,” literally, “floral games,” at the end of April, asking the intercession of Flora for all that blooms. This later led to the medieval practice of ritually expelling winter. May 1st was considered the beginning of growth.

Since the 13th century, both Mary and the month of May were greeted, welcomed and celebrated on specific days of the month. Later, the whole month of May became dedicated to Mary. Each day was organized with special devotions to Mary, a custom originating in Italy. Thus we see over time that people were able to pass from a pagan to a Christian mindset through a profound change in their beliefs and their system of moral values without losing vital contact with their old social tradition, which was sublimated and transformed, but not destroyed or lost. May devotions spread widely during the 19th century, a century well known for its monthly devotions (the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June; the Rosary in October).

Here are links to Marian prayers and activities:

Know of my continued prayers for you as we keep the faith,

David J. Conrad

Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Easter - May 3, 2020

5/3/2020

Sound and Silence, and Learning to Listen

5/3/2020

Today as I write this (Thursday), I am in my home office and outside it is rainy and gray. I can hear the steady sound of rain on the roof and windows, and then it stops; and I am conscious of the silence of post rainfall. As a musician, I am all about sound—and the silence that frames it. One of the things I preach about to my musicians in rehearsal is that the silence between the notes and musical phrases in music are critically important—they function like a frame for visual art that sets off a piece—the silence between the musical sounds sets apart those sounds from other musical sounds so that the message of the music may be heard cleanly and clearly.

On this Fourth Sunday of the Easter Season (Good Shepherd Sunday) it is clear to me that the Scripture message is about hearing, listening and following the voice of Christ—hearing God’s call. We often identify a person by their voice; and sometimes we even form impressions of someone we’ve never seen before by their voice. We are consoled by the voices of loved ones in hard times—especially in pandemic loneliness. The voice of a person may also resonate within us, inspiring and uniting us, recommitting us to what we believe and love. (When Jesus spoke to Mary and said her name at the tomb, only then did she recognize Him—by His voice.)

Do you remember what it was like years ago at dinnertime when your Mom or Dad would call you to come in from playing outside? It didn’t matter that many voices in the neighborhood might call “Dinner!” at about the same time; you knew the voice specifically calling to you. You knew your parents’ voices, and you headed for home and food, comfort and safety. Today in John’s Gospel Jesus tells us: “…and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…the sheep follow him (the shepherd), because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”

This article today is as much about sound as the necessary silence that surrounds it. There is a story by Anthony de Mellow about a man whose marriage was in trouble and sought his advice, and he said to him, “You must listen to your wife.” The man took his advice to heart and returned after a month to say he had listened to every word his wife was saying. Said he with a smile, “Now go home and listen to every word she isn’t saying.”

We live in a society that does not value or encourage silence. When is the last time you heard someone say, “Let's share some silence?” This kind of statement is rarely heard today, even in church settings (sacred silence) or among the most intimate of friends or family. Most Americans avoid silence at any cost, and many of us fail to realize how important listening and silence are until some conflict or malaise surfaces in any relationship. If we are attentive, we can sense “things just aren't right” and get back to the important discipline of deep listening—not only to what others say, but also to the silence that exists between words. Of course, we can easily “turn up the noise” by watching more TV, Facebook/Tic Toc/Instagram/Twitter videos on computers or phones, keeping the iPod/iPhone going while exercising, and staying ever busier at work—doing anything to avoid being still and silent…

And what is true in our relationship with others is even truer in our friendship with God. If we do not make time to respond to God's invitation to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10), then our relationship with Him will drift—like two ships passing in the night. One great thing offered by this pandemic is the opportunity to be silent; to listen to each other and to God more closely. God works through all things for good!

Being silent is likely one of the most difficult spiritual exercises we can attempt, at least initially—especially if we are unused to silence. However, those who are trained in the discipline and grace of silence will testify that not only does silence serve as a balm to wounded relationships, the practicing of silence does wonders to prevent spiritual sluggishness or apathy.

In thinking about why we avoid silence, I think that one reason may be that we do not like to wait for anything! We value instant gratification and do everything we can to avoid or to speed up waiting. We tend to consider waiting time to be wasted time instead of utilizing the moment for quiet. Think about the wait in traffic, or in the grocery line, or on hold for something needed. During moments of waiting we can be drawn to silence, and when drawn to silence we just may be able hear the “still, small voice of God.” The Spirit calls to our spirits to enter this silence so that we might live holistic, holy, and centered lives. As we practice this important discipline, slowly and gradually we may become increasingly aware of God's presence and grace.

It is difficult to shut out the world, the worry, the pandemic and fear—but this is a moment when we may stop and take a “God break.” As our souls waits in silence for God alone, many distracting thoughts, images, memories, and secret desires will surface to our conscious mind. However, if we will stay with the silence, and allow the Holy Spirit within us and our own impatient spirit to raise “our stuff” into our consciousness, it will eventually pass on by like debris flowing down a river. As our soul waits on God alone, He will provide not only peace and joy and rest, but also the ever-increasing awareness of His presence. As in everything, it’s all about the practice…

Here are a few “silent” exercises that you may decide to try and practice—while there is time to do so:

* A Five minute “sit” before (and/or after) reading Scripture. In this exercise we are consciously stilling our soul so that we might hear the Word of God. If the silence is too distracting or noisy, some have found it helpful to silently repeat (like a mantra) one of the many names for God.

* A Silent walk. Whether during the day or at night, by oneself or with a friend, a silent walk can be a wonderful time of centering oneself on God and His presence with (and within) us. As a suggestion, if you walk with someone else, you could agree to walk for the first thirty minutes in complete silence followed by a time of sharing what each “heard.”

* Fasting from noise: no phone, radio, TV, movie, computer, etc. What would it be like to take one whole day off from any external noise for the sake of listening to God? Or at least to shut out the news cycle for a day…

* Sharing silence in community (when released to do so). Many have found sharing silence is somewhat easier and enhanced with others. What if any leaders: in worship, preachers, teachers, small group leaders, pray-ers, prefaced or ended their words with the phrase, “Let's share a few minutes of silence together with each other and God?” We often do this out of respect in moments of terrible loss and sorrow—a good, shared, communal moment of silent reflection.

Today the Shepherd calls us by name to feed in green pastures, and to repose by restful waters. We are protected and sheltered by Him. We follow Him because we know His voice when he calls. We are warned that we must not follow other voices that lead us down other paths. The voice of the Good Shepherd calls us to eternal life that flows from our faith. That faith will come to us by responding to the voice of Jesus, in Word, Eucharist and Community. Your job is to listen in silence for His voice and then, to follow. Listening involves more than our ears. When you are really listening to someone, you are still; your eyes are focused on them. They have your full and undivided attention.
Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

Just a note: Here is a Blessing/Benediction I would like to share with you that was written by Rev. John O’Donohue from his book “Benedictus.” Something encouraging for a journey into silence…

For the Senses

May the touch of your skin
Register the beauty of otherness that surrounds you.

May your listening be attuned
To the deeper silence where sound is hones to bring distance home.

May the fragrance of a breathing meadow
Refresh your heart and remind you you are a child of the earth.

And when you partake of food and drink,
May your taste quicken to the gift and sweetness that flows from the earth.

May your inner eye see through the surfaces
And glean the real presence of everything that meets you.

May your soul beautify the desire of your eyes
That you might glimpse the infinity that hides in the simple sights
That seem worn to your usual eyes.

Public Masses Resume Saturday, May 23, 2020

Mass for Sunday of the Fifth Week of Easter - May 10, 2020

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled

May is Mary's Month

Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Easter - May 3, 2020

Sound and Silence, and Learning to Listen

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Chapter 17

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Chapter 16

May Crowning - May 1, 2020 at Noon

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