“Know that Christ Jesus is with you and in you in all you do,” the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton has said during his homily at the Mass for Carers, which was live streamed from Arundel Cathedral at 7pm this evening.
Bishop Richard Moth applauded all those who care for the sick in hospitals and care homes, as well as family members who care for loved ones at home and all those who support communities, parishes and schools at this difficult time.
“Our presence on the streets is a very effective expression of solidarity and this Mass is the offering of the greatest prayer that we have for them,” he said.
At this “challenging moment” for the whole word, the bishop reflected on how “such a time prompts fundamental questions: How can I best support my family? Is my job at risk – or where next for those who have lost jobs? Why has all this happened? Where is God in all of this? Why is a loved one sick? Why has a loved one died? For those working at the front line in our hospitals, care homes and communities, there may be little time for reflection, but the worries and fears will, I am sure, be there – resurfacing in the occasional quieter times.”
Bishop Moth went on to say, “We grapple with the reality of illness and suffering in all their forms. Death is sometimes seen as failure. Thoughts and questions are, I suggest, a reaching out, a searching, even a prayer – even though the answers may not always be very clear to us.”
Even in the darkness, there is always a glimmer of hope, “There is life in death, light in darkness. He understands and when we cannot find the words to express our prayer, the Spirit prays in us in a way that can never be put into words.”
This evening’s live streamed Mass from Arundel Cathedral was offered for NHS and Social Care workers, those who are sick and their families. This Mass was the second in a series of special services to be celebrated by a different bishop, in a different Cathedral, each Thursday at 7pm.
The current schedule is:
Thursday 7th May – Bishop Marcus Stock, Leeds Cathedral
Thursday 14th May – Bishop Robert Byrne CO, Newcastle Cathedral
Thursday 21st May – Bishop Mark Davies, Shrewsbury Cathedral
Thursday 28th May – Bishop Terence Drainey, Middlesbrough Cathedral
Links for the live-streaming of these Masses can be found by visiting the cathedrals’ webpages.
Picture: The Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, Richard Moth, during this evening’s Mass for Carers. (Screenshot taken by The Catholic Universe).
