“We must preach the eternal life found in Jesus Christ.” All the more so in these hard times when people are in need of “hope and consolation.” The death of two of his priest friends due to coronavirus inspired Bishop Peter Baldacchino’s decision to restore the celebration of public Masses in his diocese of Las Cruces. His reasons should serve as a guideline.

It is not a loophole to circumvent the law. Celebrating Mass in this time of crisis is actually an act of full obedience. It is about practicing epikeia, a virtue cited inappropriately to discern communion for the divorced and remarried, but which instead may be perfectly applied to Masses currently prohibited during coronavirus pandemic.

The phenomenon of the coronavirus has provoked considerable online discussion on the theme of the chastisement of God, to which prophecies have been associated and examples of saintly bishops. How are we to judge this matter? By means of a true discernment, which seeks conversion, by using two factors: the exercise of the episcopal ministry as a depository of “charism certain of the truth” and the recognition by the faithful of the holiness of their bishops. Today something similar would not be possible with regard to Covid-19 because if a diocesan bishop spoke like Gregory the Great or Charles Borromeo he would end up in the media grinder. And so if there are chastisements, we bring them to Christ to ask that His wounds heal us, not only from our sins but also from Covid-19.

Sister Emmanuel Maillard, a resident of Medjugorje and a great apostle of the Blessed Mother, explains to The Daily Compass the significance of an epidemic that is forcing “a world that believed it was invulnerable” to its knees; the evils of quarantine and what we should hold tight for our own good; the trial permitted as “a sign of love from a Father who desires the salvation of his children;” the journey of the pious women to the tomb of Jesus, although forbidden by “the police of that epoch;” the mystery of Mary as co-redemptrex and the full of significance of suffering. Finally, she reveals the only way to put an end to the virus.

We too are there with the three women going to the tomb before dawn to anoint the lifeless body of Jesus. Their loving concern is our concern too. With them we discover that the large tombstone has been rolled away and that the body is no longer there. “He is not here”, the angel proclaims, pointing to the empty tomb and the winding cloth on the ground. Death no longer has power over him. We publish the homily of Saint pope John Paul II at the Easter Vigil, 22 April 2000, as a help to live the meaning of Easter.

On Holy Saturday, the Archbishop of Turin, Msgr. Cesare Nosiglia will lead a liturgy of prayer before the Shroud, in a live broadcast. In this period of suffering and loneliness, we all need to feel reached by the light of the Resurrection. That's why the news has filled enthusiasts of the revered relic with more than just joy.

Saint Thomas Aquinas observes that man lives by relating on three levels: with himself, with society, and with God. His sin provokes a triple punishment: “one from himself, which is the remorse of conscience; another from men; a third from God”.  But the primary intention of God is neither a punitive nor a vengeful outburst, but simply that we may be converted so that we may turn to him.

Christianity has always addressed both individuals and nations. Abortion, euthanasia, the destruction of human embryos, divorce, homosexual adoptions: these are the "structures of sin" described by St. John Paul II. Together they form a deposit of individual sins that become social evils. This is why it is critical the Church goes back to preaching about conversion. And not just the conversion of man, but of society as well.

«There are also priests today who are capable of heroic gestures, but they are personal initiatives. There is no mobilisation of the clergy that defined the Church in past times of plague.” “We have instead the perception of a Church that is barricaded. The gates that close off St. Peter’s Square are a symbol of this.” The closing of Lourdes? “It really saddened me; it is the first time in history; I understand there is a real risk, but you cannot test God.” “Obeying civil authorities is a duty, if they are legitimate and do not go against the faith, but this does not mean that Mass could not be celebrated under certain conditions.” Vittorio Messori, the most well-known Catholic writer in the world, speaks about the Church in the time of the coronavirus.

The government decrees and bishops decisions which have closed churches or limited access do not have any basis in reality. There is no risk that a large group of people will gather nor that infection will spread, and we demonstrate why. In fact the opposite is true: visiting the Lord, in his House, is an experience that is full of grace, especially in this time of trial. If you have not already done so during these days, go without any fear and you will find out why it is a source of grace!

Original sin establishes the first relationship between man's sin and punishment. But is suffering only the result of breaking an equilibrium or is there also a positive intervention from God? The Bible takes into account a varied reality, which involves different kinds of divine action. The Old Testament interprets some natural disasters and painful situations as God's punishing interventions. The New Testament also describes a chastening action of God, but reveals definitively that His purpose is always - in respect for human freedom - our salvation.

The bishops of Portugal and Spain are carrying out an epochal salvific act with the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We implore  all bishops to imitate them today. The Lord is allowing, in His infinite mercy, that we experience first-hand the great fragility of man, of his health, of his economic systems, of his earthly certainties. And He is making it clear to the whole world. This is a great warning, and it would be wrong and a harbinger of disastrous consequences not to accept it.