“Do not be ashamed to enter again into the Church… These are two things: sin and repentance. Sin is a wound; repentance is a medicine. Just as there are for the body wounds and medicines, so for the soul are sins and repentance. However, sin has the shame and repentance possesses the courage.” —St. John Chrysostom
Photo Right: Peter and John running to the tomb on the first Easter morning. We are all trying to get close to the mystery of the Resurrection. We, too, can join them when we hear, “Christ is Risen!” This news casts out all fear of sickness, poverty and uncertainty even today. Easter morning, when death was trampled by death, became the source of endless new hope for our universe.
May 4, 2020
Dear Friends,
There is so much pain and confusion around us. The Church — the sure foundation, the pillar and bulwark of Truth — is seemingly being pulled in various directions by factions and societal influences. And we, the faithful, are in many places without access to the Sacraments.
Yes, we know that the Sacrifice of the Mass has not stopped.
We know that from the rising of the sun to its setting, Christ is made present in this world, but the visible and tangible signs are to us at best made abstract through computer screens — seemingly unapproachable.
In some countries and regions it is even illegal to those who are not ordained. And so, we are hungry.
We are hungry for Christ present in the elements of bread and wine given and shed for us, but we are also hungry for a Church that is steadfast and unshakable in the midst of tumultuous seas.
To be sure, the Church is supposed to be in the midst of the seas of the world, and storms do happen.
We, as Christians, are to be in the world and not separate from it. But we are not meant to be of the world. We are meant to be distinct.
To add to all of this, there is of course concern for health. There is a global health crisis going on which seems as if it may set off a financial crisis, and we are trying to weather that storm, as well.
Where there is sin, may it be approached with repentance.
Where there is need, may it be filled.
Where there is illness, may Christ the Great Physician be near.
Where there is hunger, may there be sustenance.
We hope that we are a source of nourishment even in this great hunger. We hope that we can be a voice pointing to the need for stability, assurance, and even in places repentance from the Church. We believe that this is work that is needed now more than ever.
This work is only possible when it is supported. Click on the circular image below to support us.
Nonprofits like our own Urbi et Orbi Communications need help weathering the current storms. A special day, called “Giving Tuesday,” has been created to help such initiatives. So #GivingTuesdayNOW has been declared in the United States for May 5, 2020.
Today!
We are taking this opportunity to tell a bit of our story, and to share a bit of our sense of purpose with you.
We do this work in partnership with you: we want you to be informed, to have a sense of the current climate of the Church, and to know both where there is hope for the future and where there is danger of losing sight of Truth. (continued below)
We ask you to support Urbi et Orbi Communications with a small or large contribution, at this difficult time, in order…
(1) to keep Inside the Vatican Magazine (which we have published since its founding in 1993, 27 years ago) independent and comprehensive… a unique lens into the Church and the World. Now available to you digitally as well as in print!
(2) to ensure that Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages can keep creating encounters for you with the Heart of the Churches, the homes of the Saints, and the Living Stones — the people — of whom the Church is built. Now offering you virtual pilgrimages from your home computer! (see below for more information)
(3) to helping to bring the Churches closer together by “Building Bridges” to heal the schisms of the Church — East and West — through our Urbi et Orbi Foundation.
(4) to sustain our occasional news and editorial emails, The Moynihan Letters, bringing the latest valuable information and insight like no other source to thousands of readers around the world.
Please do not forget about us on this Giving Tuesday Now.
Your support is important to us and much needed, especially in these difficult days of lockdown and concern about the Coronavirus.
We will send out another note, but please, do not overlook this opportunity to work with us for Church unity. We very much appreciate your gift, whether small or large.
Thank you.
In Christ,
Dr. Robert Moynihan and the rest of the Urbi et Orbi Team
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