Month: April 2020

Dear Friends,

Hope you know that, as a country, we’re being told that we’ve reached the peak in number of covid-19 deaths per day. But it could still be months before the count is anywhere near zero per day – all depending on our social distancing. Here’s the chart many people were following to see it level out at the top – Go here https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/ and scroll down to the bar graph titled “Daily New Deaths in the United States.”

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
• FYI, this is a very special week in world population. The world’s population turned over 7,777,777,777 people this week according to one site that tracks world population.
• A 93-year-old woman got 150 cans of beer delivered to her door after a viral plea for “more beer.” She held up a can of CoorsLight for the picture and the beer compay sent her 150 cans!
• The Coronavirus has achieved what no female has every been able to achieve. It has cancelled sports, closed all bars and kept all guys at home!
• Oh, nowwww everyone wants to know what introverts do for fun.
• One side effect of the quarantine is that it’s really hard to end phone calls. Twice today I almost said “OK, I have to run” before realizing there is nowhere to run to.
• Our cleaning lady just called and told us she will be working from home and will send us instructions on what to do.
• The year 2020 is a unique leap year. It has 29 days in February, 300 days in March and 10 years in April.
• Our reality sounds like an 8-year old telling a story they made up on the spot: “There was this virus that everyone in the world was scared of! and the world ran out of toilet paper. And there was no school for like, a month! Then it was summer.”
• Nail salons, hair salons, waxing center, and tanning places are all closed. It’s about to get ugly out there!
• I will not be surprised if in 9 months there will be people trying to name their babies Covid if it’s a boy and Corona if it’s a girl.
• So many coronavirus jokes out there, it’s a pundemic.
• I don’t know how people in 1918 did their pandemic without the internet
• In an unsettling reversal of my teenage years, I am now yelling at my parents for going out.

WHAT IS A BLOG?
One reader asked what exactly a blog is. Online I found it defined — “A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website displaying information in the reverse chronological order, with the latest posts appearing first. It is a platform where a writer or even a group of writers share their views on an individual subject.”

IDEAS FOR USE OF YOUR EXTRA TIME
• Are there any items on your bucket list that can be done at home? I know someone who is scanning old pictures and working on a recipe book she’s been wanting to complete for years.
• If you’ve been meaning to read these items, here’s where you can find them for free online:
o The Declaration of Independence can be read at
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Declaration-of-Independence/Text-of-the-Declaration-of-Independence
o The U.S. Constitution (and the Bill of Rights – technically the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution) can be read at https://usconstitution.net/const.html.
• Of course. you can always order items to be delivered – including hobby-related items, books, and just about anything through the Internet. But did you know that once a book is no longer subject to copyright protection (and I love to read for free), you can usually find it for free on the internet. Here are some sights for reading many older books for free:
o https://www.cnet.com/how-to/10-ways-to-download-and-read-books-online-for-free-library/
o http://www.gutenberg.org/
o http://authorama.com/
o https://mashable.com/article/free-ebooks/
• Here is the pdf version of The Plague, by Albert Camus
https://epdf.pub/the-plaguef62bf9a3edf146bb3e3fb8d8c1abb97a93097.html
I got it through https://epdf.pub/. I read it years ago and I’m thinking of reading it again.
• Take virtual tours of museums, art galleries, landmarks, national parks, zoos, foreign cities, or many other places.
• I just took a free tour of Machu Picchu at https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=virtual+tours&&view=detail&mid=435785BAFA29B27373FC435785BAFA29B27373FC&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dvirtual%2520tours%26qs%3Dn%26form%3DQBVR%26sp%3D-1%26pq%3Dvirtual%2520tours%26sc%3D8-13%26sk%3D%26cvid%3D6D17F90D17814593A2B65564C7D8A6E7.
• Here are some websites that help you do that:
o Just google “virtual tours” or go to one of these links:
o http://www.virtualfreesites.com/museums.museums.html
o https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/national-parks/virtual-national-parks-tours
o https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours%3famp=true
o https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?hl=en
o https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ten-museums-you-can-virtually-visit-180974443/
o https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2020/04/02/these-museums-are-offering-free-virtual-tours/
o https://www.donbucklerartist.com/gallery – is over 100 paintings by a local artist and friend of mine – Don Buckler.

ON THE CORONAVIRUS
• A user’s guide to face masks: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/well/live/coronavirus-face-masks-guides-protection-personal-protective-equipment.html
• Everything you need to know about your $1,200 check from the stimulus package
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2020/04/13/stimulus-check-everything-need-know/

SOME GOOD SCRIPTURE VERSES
• God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in time of trouble. – Psalms 46:1
• Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy. – Psalms 126:5

Dear Lord, please help the world defeat this coronavirus!

Be calm! Stay well! God bless us all!

Chuck
ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com

Dear Friends,

ON OUR UNUSUAL EASTER
• The way and how of making a spiritual communion
https://osvnews.com/2020/03/14/the-why-and-how-of-making-a-spiritual-communion/
• A fellow member of the Serra Club sent me a poem – How the Virus Stole Easter. I put it at the end of today’s blog.
• About our homes becoming domestic monasteries, plus comments on plenary indulgences – https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/restoring-rhythm-domestic-monastery/
• Scriptures but no Eucharist –
https://spiritualdirection.com/2020/03/21/redemption-happens-in-the-dark
• Watch a live streaming of the Shroud of Turin, from northern Italy – 10:30 EST this evening.
https://aleteia.org/2020/04/11/watch-the-live-streaming-of-the-holy-shroud-of-turin-here/
• Pope St. John Paul II and Holy Week
https://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/the-strongest-argument-what-pope-john-paul-ii-teaches-us-this-holy-week

ON THE CORONAVIRUS
• How NOT to Wear a Mask – https://nyti.ms/2JUP6J7

ON GRATITUDE
• I’m thankful for Archbishop Kurtz and all those who made possible the Holy Week services on WAVE TV and on the Cathedreal website – https://www.cathedraloftheassumption.org/.
• I’m thankful for our pastor Fr. Peter Do, and our deacons, and all the others who made it possible to watch Sunday Mass and other Holy Week services online. The most recent video can be found at https://stjpiiparish.com/.
• Someone suggested that as we say a prayer of gratitude for the healthcare workers who have died while fighting this battle, we also think of the Scripture verse – “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13
• “If you can’t be thankful for what you achieve, be thankful for what you escape.” – author unknown
• “Thank God for what doesn’t need healing.” – Joan Borysenko (author and speaker)
• “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and never giving it.” – William Arthur Ward (1921 – 1994, writier)
• “No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” – St. Ambrose (340-397 AD)

SOME GOOD SCRIPTURE VERSES
• “He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” – Matthew 28:6
• “By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies.” – Isaiah 30:15

Dear Lord, please help the world defeat this coronavirus!

Be calm! Stay well! God bless us all!

Happy Easter! Christ is risen!

Chuck
ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com

How the Virus Stole Easter
By Kristi Bothur
With a nod to Dr. Seuss 😊

Twas late in ‘19 when the virus began
Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land.

People were sick, hospitals full,
Doctors overwhelmed, no one in school.

As winter gave way to the promise of spring,
The virus raged on, touching peasant and king.

People hid in their homes from the enemy unseen.
They YouTubed and Zoomed, social-distanced, and cleaned.

April approached and churches were closed.
“There won’t be an Easter,” the world supposed.

“There won’t be church services, and egg hunts are out.
No reason for new dresses when we can’t go about.”

Holy Week started, as bleak as the rest.
The world was focused on masks and on tests.

“Easter can’t happen this year,” it proclaimed.
“Online and at home, it just won’t be the same.”

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the days came and went.
The virus pressed on; it just would not relent.

The world woke Sunday and nothing had changed.
The virus still menaced, the people, estranged.

“Pooh pooh to the saints,” the world was grumbling.
“They’re finding out now that no Easter is coming.

“They’re just waking up! We know just what they’ll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,
And then all the saints will all cry boo-hoo.

“That noise,” said the world, “will be something to hear.”
So it paused and the world put a hand to its ear.

And it did hear a sound coming through all the skies.
It started down low, then it started to rise.

But the sound wasn’t depressed. Why, this sound was triumphant!
It couldn’t be so! But it grew with abundance!

The world stared around, popping its eyes.
Then it shook! What it saw was a shocking surprise!

Every saint in every nation, the tall and the small,
Was celebrating Jesus in spite of it all!

It hadn’t stopped Easter from coming! It came!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the world with its life quite stuck in quarantine
Stood puzzling and puzzling. “Just how can it be?”

“It came without bonnets, it came without bunnies,
It came without egg hunts, cantatas, or money.”

Then the world thought of something it hadn’t before.
“Maybe Easter,” it thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Easter, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

And what happened then? Well….the story’s not done.
What will YOU do? Will you share with that one
Or two or more people needing hope in this night?
Will you share the source of your life in this fight?

The churches are empty – but so is the tomb,
And Jesus is victor over death, doom, and gloom.

So this year at Easter, let this be our prayer,
As the virus still rages all around, everywhere.

May the world see hope when it looks at God’s people.
May the world see the church is not a building or steeple.
May the world find Faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection,
May the world find Joy in a time of dejection.
May 2020 be known as the year of survival,
But not only that – Let it start a revival.

Dear Friends,

I hope each of you is able to enjoy and celebrate the Easter Weekend, even if you can’t go out to do so. For us Catholics, there are a number of events that will be available (live or recorded) from the Cathedral of the Assumption (https://www.cathedraloftheassumption.org/).

ON THE CORONAVIRUS
“Model projects U.S. Daily Deaths will peak on Easter Sunday” – was the headline on CNN TV News on Thursday, April 9.

FROM OTHERS WHO READ THIS BLOG
• CHART – Here’s a chart showing (for each day since March 1) how covid-19 deaths per day compare to the average daily count of other causes of death across the U.S.
https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1812248/?fbclid=IwAR2-lfqy5D_bhQyFd0bdPtAw8EJpDZXAlJmFZGFNOJH0SJL4cBnie0-T22A
• DIVINE MERCY NOVENA – Since the Divine Mercy nine-day novena was meant to begin today, Good Friday, we might want to all pray it for nine days. Three pm is the “hour that was revealed by our Lord to St. Faustina that recalls His death on the cross.” So, if you’d like to join a number of us in praying this novena, we will begin today at 3 pm. It is also intended to prepare us for Divine Mercy Sunday, which is one week after Easter each year. You can find the daily prayers at https://divinemercy.life/the-divine-mercy-novena/.

SOME GOOD SCRIPTURE VERSES
• Yet will I rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God. God, my Lord, is my strength. – Habakkuk 3:18-19
• Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you … – Isaiah 41:10
• Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. – James 4:8

Dear Lord, please help the world defeat this coronavirus!

May this Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday be full of blessings for you and your families!

Chuck
ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com

04/08/20 BLOG # 14
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Dear Friends,

I want to start by thanking my son Chip, who set up a website for me and gave me the capabilities to post a blog. Thanks, Chip!

DON’T FORGET PRAYER – This is the month when Holy Week begins for Christians, Passover begins for Jews, and Ramadan begins for Muslims. Our federal government is also talking as if the U.S. should reach our apex (of covid-19 deaths per day) during this month (maybe in the next week). May all of us, of all faiths, keep up the prayers for a beginning to the end of this pandemic.

FROM ONE READER OF THIS BLOG
We need to remember that not all news is bad news. Check out this article:
https://www.psichi.org/page/244EyeSummer20Pinker#.Xo3rAq8pCdN

GOD’S CALL TO ALL OF US
“The worldwide coronavirus pandemic is not God’s judgment on humanity, but God’s call on people to judge what is most important to them and resolve to act accordingly from now on, Pope Francis said.” – from The Record, 4/2/20

MODELING THE COVID CURVE – Experts talk of many models being used to make projections of the apex as well as the total number of deaths. Here’s a website that shows the U.S. results of one model, updating each day – projecting the date of the apex, the number of deaths on that date, and the total number of deaths in the next few months. https://covid19.healthdata.org/projections

HOBBIES – I hear that a number of people are pulling out their old in-door hobbies and getting back to working on them. Here’s a 7-minute video on a fascinating one – https://www.youtube.com/embed/HyuE1XnYO0I.

LET’S LEARN TO SMILE THROUGH IT ALL
Here is a poem credited to Spike Milligan:
Smiling is infectious. You catch it like the flu.
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled, I realized I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile. Then I realized its worth.
A single smile, just like mine, could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected.
Let’s start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!

HUMOR IS THE BEST MEDICINE
• Half of us are going to come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks. The other half will come out with a drinking problem.
• I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I’m cracking a safe.
• I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.
• Still haven’t decided where to go for Easter —– The Living Room or The Bedroom
• PSA: every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.
• Homeschooling is going well. 2 students suspended for fighting and 1 teacher fired for drinking on the job.
• I don’t think anyone expected that when we changed the clocks we’d go from Standard Time to the Twilight Zone
• This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, told my dog….. we laughed a lot.
• So, after this quarantine … will the producers of “My 600 Pound Life” just find me or do I find them?
• Quarantine Day 5: Went to this restaurant called THE KITCHEN. You have to gather all the ingredients and make your own meal. I have no clue how this place is still in business.
• Day 5 of Homeschooling: One of these little monsters called in a bomb threat.
• I’m so excited — it’s time to take out the garbage. What should I wear?
• I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to Puerto Backyarda. I’m getting tired of Los Livingroom.
• Day 6 of Homeschooling: My child just said “I hope I don’t have the same teacher next year” … I’m offended.
• Better 6 feet apart than 6 feet under.

SOME GOOD SCRIPTURE VERSES
• It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. – Acts 14:22
• We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-11

Dear Lord, please help the world defeat this coronavirus!

Be calm! Stay well! God bless us all!

Chuck
ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com

03/23/20 BLOG # 8
Dear Friends,

Today I want to write about the crisis from a mathematical point of view. As a mathematician and a retired actuary, I take interest in some of the numbers focused on by the media and others. Several thoughts:

• When the media focuses on the increase in the number of positive cases, they’re sort of missing the point (as Governor Andrew Cuomo keeps says). The number of positive cases will increase as we do more testing. That measure has a certain value, but there are other measures which are more valuable.

• We need to focus on the number of infected people that need to be hospitalized (usually somewhere around 14% of those infected) because we are expected to have a shortage of hospital beds.

• We need to focus on the number of infected people that need to be in hospital ICUs (usually somewhere around 5% of those infected) because we are expected to have a shortage of ICU beds and respirators.

• And, of course, we need to focus on the number of deaths since, ultimately, that tells us whether we’re winning the war against coronavirus. Of the people infected, scientists think about 1% to 3% are dying. Attached are snapshots reported on 3/23/20, of the number of deaths, by day, in the world and in the U.S., respectively. Obviously, both bar graphs show that the number of daily deaths is growing exponentially. These are some of the curves to be flattened.
SEE ATTACHMENT – ITEM # 7 AND ITEM # 8

• When it comes to the number of deaths, we need to focus on whether the number of deaths (each month, week or day) reflect a patter that is increasing or decreasing. One way scientists do this is to look at the “doubling factor” – how long does it take for the number of deaths (in a given population, such as the world, or a country, or a state) to actually double. (Deaths doubling in two days is, of course, much worse than deaths doubling in, say, 14 days.) To best understand this, look at the interactive graphs (one by country and one by state) at https://nyti.ms/2UcjlBD. I think the “NY Times” (to which I have a subscription) is updating these graphs regularly and making them available to anyone, even if you don’t have a subscription. As of 3/23/20, those graphs show the following for those countries with at least 25 deaths:
o Doubling every 11 months – China (who is getting things under control compared to the rest of the world – in other ways, they’re “flattening the curve.”)
o Doubling every 14 days – South Korea
o Doubling every 6 days – Iran
o Doubling every 4 days – Italy (although they were once in much worse shape)
o Doubling every 3 days – France
o Doubling every 2 days – Spain, and the United States.
And that same website shows the following for states with at least 10 deaths:
o Doubling every 8 days – Washington
o Doubling every 6 days – Florida
o Doubling every 4 days – California
o Doubling every 3 days – New Jersey
o Doubling every 2 days – New York, Georgia

• Again, when we speak of “flattening the curve,” we are speaking of curves other than how many tests have been performed. Politically, the U.S. is being looked at as behind many other countries in testing, when you look at the number of tests per million population.
SEE ATTACHMENT – ITEM # 9

Dear Lord, please help the world defeat this coronavirus!

If you didn’t get my blog notes from yesterday, see below.
Be calm! Stay well! God bless us all!

Chuck
ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com

04/04/20 BLOG # 13
(If you do not wish to receive this blog, please let me know.)

Dear Friends,

I hope you’re staying positive about all of this coronavirus mess. Hopefully, you’ve had some of those parades of cars going through neighborhoods! I hear some are teachers trying to build up the morale of their students, and some are people celebrating birthdays! We’ll never forget the phrase “social distancing.”

FACE MASKS MADE EASY – Some experts in DC are now emphasizing that the virus can be transmitted by simply talking; and a lot of the infected show no symptoms. Consequently, the government is recommending that, in addition to keeping six feet away from people while outside of your home, you should make your own mask. Here are two good videos on how to make masks.
• https://youtu.be/pJaVBt8q6g8
This one is a permanent cloth mask which you could re-use after washing. The federal government seems to be emphasizing cloth masks.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mai-UqdNRi8&utm_campaign=wp_to_your_health&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_tyh&wpmk=1&utm_content=2020_04_02
This one is particularly liked because it’s designed to close the gaps around the nose, which might exist with bandana masks.
• Maybe the paper clip idea from the second video could be added to the cloth version in the first video, and have the best of both.

TAKEN FOR GRANTED – I vow to never take for granted all those people who are on the front lines and keeping the world moving during this crisis – professionals like doctors, nurses, police, scientists, paramedics, immunologists, virologists, all first responders, teachers, pharmacists, etc. Also, we can’t take for granted the people like sanitation engineers, people in the news industry, grocery store employees, delivery people, and many more.

QUOTES AND POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS
• “Let nothing bother you, let nothing dismay you. Everything passes … Patience gains all … God alone is enough.” – St. Teresa of Avila
• “If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” – Lao Tzu
• “I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than in attempting to satisfy them.” – John Stuart Mill, British philosopher, 1806 – 1873
• “Being miserable is a habit; being happy is a habit; and the choice is yours.” – Tom Hopkins, author, entrepreneur, speaker (1911 – )
• “This is not a sprint; it’s a marathon.”

GOOD SCRIPTURE VERSES
• Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me. – Psalm 23:4
• Have pity on me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord, for my bones are trembling. – Psalms 6:3

Dear Lord, please help the world defeat this coronavirus!

Be calm! Stay well! God bless us all!

Chuck
ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com

03/24/20 BLOG # 9
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Dear Friends,

I hope you are holding up well and not letting the crisis get you down.

LENTEN REFLECTION
If you’re still reading this year’s The Little Black Book for Lent, you undoubtedly noticed Sunday’s reading, and how appropriate it was for this year, even though the book actually went to press long before the coronavirus. It read:

I was naked, and you clothed me
Imagine something terrible happens, a famine, a flood, a fire, and residents hardly have anything left.
When that happens, people around the world always try to help out. They collect money, clothes, food, medicine, and furniture which they send to those who need help. The shipment arrives, and it’s distributed to the people.
About six months later, donors come to visit, and they ask those who received the aid, “What did you do with the assistance we sent you?” Suppose the person who had been in need said: “Oh, it’s terrific. Look at my closet. It’s full of clothes. Look at the shelves where I have all this food. And the money? I was able to buy a couple of houses. I also have all the medicine stocked up for me and my family.”
The donors will reply: “That’s not why we gave it to you. We want you to have enough food, clothes and furniture, but we gave all this to you to do something with it for all the people who are in need.”
Someday Jesus is going to say the same thing to me: “What did you do with what 1 gave you? I gave you food and good things. Did you share them? I gave you a mind. Did you use it to make this world a better place?”
Jesus gave me these gifts so that I could help people.
A good thing to remember during Lent.
‘The service you cannot render me you must do for your neighbors.’ – St. Catherine of Siena recounting words God spoke to her

FROM SOME PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE THIS BLOG
• One Deacon shared this article from “Our Sunday Visitor” – about parish collections when there’s no passing of the basket at church –

• “I have found Mass Of The Air to be a comfort these days,” said one senior citizen.
• One reader said you can watch wonderful old family films on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL67xPl3hk7a2E49D0oXY7kBH1AlOHS5G2.
• A friend told me that one parish now has “drive-thru” weekend Communion. Per the website for St. Edwards Parish in Louisville, “The necessity I wish to address is the need for Catholics to receive Communion. Therefore, beginning this weekend March 21st & 22nd, the following schedule will be observed for “Drive-Thru” Communion at St. Edward Church 9608 Sue Helen Drive, Louisville KY 40299.” – Fr. Troy Overton, Pastor. See all the details at https://www.stedwardchurch.com/.
• Per one reader, “Today I found toilet paper at Walmart and I also got a new volleyball so my kids could play outside together; they are in such a state of cabin fever. As I checked out, the lady in front of me had her card declined. She said that she knows she has $200 in there. I did not even think … I just paid for her items with mine. It was only $30 but it made me so happy to help and I know we can skip something in our family budget to make up for it. She said ‘God Bless You and your family.’ “

SPIRITUALITY AND DEALING WITH THE CRISIS
• Pope Francis has called on all Christian leaders and every Christian community around the world to recite the Our Father at noon on Wednesday (Mar 25), the Feast of the Annunciation, as “humanity trembles at the threat” of the coronavirus pandemic “in these days of trial.”
• Pope Francis will also preside over a moment of prayer at the sagrato in front of St. Peter’s basilica at 6pm on Friday March 27 (1 pm Louisville time) where “we will listen to the Word of God, we will raise our supplication, we will adore the Blessed Sacrament.” The Pope said that at the end he will give his Urbi et Orbi blessing (to the city and to the world) “to which will be attached the possibility of receiving a plenary indulgence.” The Holy Father, who usually only gives the Urbi et Orbi blessing at Christmas and Easter, said the prayer and blessing will be televised as the square will be empty owing to the current lockdown. (Rome is 5 hours ahead of Louisville. So, 6 pm their time is 1 pm Louisville time.) The presentation can probably be found on EWTN TV. You can find live EWTN radio at https://www.ewtn.com/radio/listen-live
• The cloistered life offers lessons for the world. See https://cnstopstories.com/2020/03/17/in-the-time-of-covid-19-the-cloistered-life-offers-lessons-for-the-world/#noredirect
• If you can’t go to confession, take your sorrow directly to God, the Pope says – https://www.osvnews.com/2020/03/20/if-you-cant-go-to-confession-take-your-sorrow-directly-to-god-pope-says/
• Staying connected while facing the coronavirus – https://cnstopstories.com/2020/03/19/advocacy-groups-offer-tips-to-stay-connected-while-facing-the-coronavirus/#noredirect

A GOOD SCRIPTURE VERSE
“Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” – Romans 12:11-12

Dear Lord, please help the world defeat this coronavirus!

Be calm! Stay well! God bless us all!

Chuck

ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com

04/01/20 BLOG # 12
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Dear Friends,

Let’s hope we can “flatten the curve” by April 15, as the President’s administration is projecting.

FROM SOME PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE THIS BLOG
• From one of our Archdiocesan deacons – “As a Deacon I don’t like sitting on the sidelines. I believe once we can return to our house of worship, it will be like Easter. Tell everyone that He is trying to get our attention. Stop worshipping false gods and turn to the One true God.”
• One of my fellow parishioners told me of someone who said, “I’m no longer taking people and what’s important for granted. … I’m going to try to be in the precious present, for that is where I know that I can find Christ. … This time, now, I believe is a gift from God, to allow us the time and focus to reflect on what is truly important in life, our families and our dear friends.”
• From a Dominican priest in Rome, where there are fewer cards and trucks on the roads lately – “Have you noticed the air we breathe lately contains a sweet purity about it, has significantly fewer breath-taking particulates in it, and is refreshing for our nostrils, our sense of well-being, and even our spirit? We may not be able to be outside of our dwellings much at present, yet it is good to open the windows, take a short stroll outside, or sit outside for a while, as possible, and take in this present gift of fresh air. God provided us with air to breathe and the lungs with which to breathe it. Let us pray that those who are having difficulty breathing because of COVID-19 may be healed and that all of us remember this present gift of fresher air so that we do what is necessary to help keep each other, and mother nature breathing well too.”
• You can read the full text from Pope Francis’ homily for the special March 27 ‘Urbi et Orbi’ homily here – https://www.santasophia.org/text-of-popes-whole-homily-march-27-2020/. Easy to read and very inspirational in this time of crisis.

TO MY FELLOW PARISHIONERS AT ST JOHN PAUL II CATHOLIC CHURCH
If you’re like me, I’m learning to do more through the Internet and my smart phone than I ever knew before.
• Weekly bulletin – For those in our parish who may not be aware of it, you can find our weekly bulletin by going to https://stjpiiparish.com/. Then click “Menu” then “Our Parish” then “Bulletins.” You can actually find the bulletins going back to the beginning of the previous month. And they’re usually on the website a few days early.
• SOS Palm Sunday Event – On our parish’s main website page https://stjpiiparish.com/, you can find information on the S.O.S. program (Seeing Our Savior) for Palm Sunday. This involves a blessing with the Monstrance while remaining in the safety of your car in our parking lot outside of the church. (This does not include the Mass.)
• Parish Mass by our Pastor Fr. Peter Do – You can get this each weekend by going to the parish website and clicking the video saved on the right side.
• Parish App – If you’re not signed up for the parish app on your smart phone, you may want to do so. On an Android phone, go to your “Play Store” and search for “myParish – Catholic Life” – Install it; and then check “Messages” regularly to keep up with some of the parish events. I would imagine the procedure is comparable for an iPhone. There is actually all sorts of information available through the app.
• Facebook – If you’re in to Facebook, go to www.Facebook.com and then in the search box, enter @stjpiiparish.
• Online Tithing – If you’re not already set up with online tithing for our parish, you can mail in a regular check, of course. However, another option is to save on postage and do online tithing by going to https://stjpiiparish.weshareonline.org/ and registering to have a regular amount taken out of your checking account every week or every month. (Don’t forget our special collection for the poor, too.)
• Holy Week Live Streamed Services – Go to our Facebook page (described above) and find how to watch the services every day from Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
• Overheard at the beginning of a radio show that is usually taped before a live audience: “The following program was taped before an audience of no one.”
• They’re expecting a lot of children to be born later this year. And starting in 2033, they’ll be called “quaran-teens.”
• Check out the humor at https://www.boredpanda.com/quarantine-coronavirus-jokes/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
• “Every disaster movie starts with government ignoring a scientist.”
• “If you needed 144 rolls of toilet paper for a 14-day quarantine you probably should’ve been seeing a doctor long before covid-19.”
• “Journal – Day 2 without sports – Found a young lady sitting on my couch yesterday. Apparently, she’s my wife. She seems nice.”
• “Mexico is considering closing its borders to stop Americans bringing coronavirus into its country.”
• “I washed my hands so much due to covid-19 that my exam notes from 1995 resurfaced!”
• This video is really good – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ci5EYb9qA

SOME GOOD SCRIPTURE VERSES
• For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace. – 1 Peter 2:19
• … if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. – Romans 14:8
• … when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials… Accept whatever befalls you … in fire gold is tested … Trust God and he will help you. – Sirach 2:1-6

Dear Lord, please help the world defeat this coronavirus!

Be calm! Stay well! God bless us all!

Chuck
ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com

03/29/20 BLOG # 11
(If you do not wish to receive this blog, please let me know.)

Dear Friends,

One deacon sent me material which included this Scripture verses – “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4:40) We all need to keep this in mind.

BOB RUST – I was so sorry to hear that Bob Rust, the 88-year old brotherp of our parishioner Renee Yarmuth, passed away Saturday morning. He lived in Greensburg, Indiana. The doctors think he died of coronavirus but are awaiting lab results to be sure. Renee and Mike, we are so sorry for your loss! Even though we can’t come to the funeral, the parish will have you and your family in our prayers.

OUR PARISH MASS ONLINE – I was so delighted this weekend to discover that St. John Paul II parish had recorded Mass for this weekend. I found it by accident this morning, through our parish’s Facebook page, which provided a link to the Mass on YouTube. It was so good to see the inside of our own church, Fr. Peter leading Mass, Deacon Bruce Warren assisting, his wife Laurie and daughter Katelyn doing the readings, and son John in the audience! Thanks to all of you for bringing our home parish Mass to us this weekend!

ON A POSITIVE NOTE
There seem to be a lot of employers who are now seeking new employees. See http://louisvillecourierjournal.ky.newsmemory.com/?publink=2988d6882. If you know anyone seeking employment, please pass on that link.

PSYCHOLOGICALLY COPING WITH THE CRISIS
From a local counselor – http://louisvillecourierjournal.ky.newsmemory.com/?publink=1d43b5e5a

QUOTES AND POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS FOR A CRISIS
• A leader is a person who, in crisis, is too scared to sit around doing nothing. – “Senator Soaper”
• Life is a series of lessons and our crises are our homework. Knowing that a crisis guarantees us the growth we deserve makes its sting endurable. – author unkown
• Out of every crisis comes the chance to be reborn. – Nena O’Neill

SOME GOOD SCRIPTURE VERSES
• Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your lifespan? If even the smallest things are beyond your control, why are you anxious about the rest? – Luke 12:25-26
• Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7

Dear Lord, please help the world defeat this coronavirus!

Be calm! Stay well! God bless us all!

Chuck
ChuckLynch4782@gmail.com