With the pandemic, our family has been working at making our home a more apparent domestic church. We’ve set up an altar in our house dedicated to celebrating mass via the internet and still get dressed up for church on Sundays (although now we don’t have to wear shoes). Our family is still doing praise and worship every day, and it really helps remind us to focus on rejoicing in both the good and hard times. It is very sad and difficult to not have Jesus in the Eucharist each week, but we are saying a Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet every day for our world, which helps. It also helps that we are noticing God more in the beauty of nature around us. The birds, iguanas, lizards, cicadas and crickets seem louder without any outings and outside ministry to do. For me, being stuck at home has been a beautiful reminder of how important the vocation and #1 ministry that serving our family is.
As for ministries during this time, apart from a deeper focus on praying for those we serve, we have dropped off bags of food for friends, are both giving food to and buying food from those who stop by, and are sharing our fruit in our yard. We are working on creating more ministries soon, such as making homemade rosaries for our neighbors and having a FaceTime prayer group with our Clase de Ingles (English Class) kids. Sometimes, though, I think God would have us know that prayer is the most powerful ministry of all.
A friend of mine shared a vision she had of a missionary family inside a house praying, and light shining out of the doors and windows through the darkness. I take comfort in this image, as it exemplifies how by prayer we can still be a light shining on a lamp stand as we shelter-in-place, and Christ can use us even when it seems like we are hiding under a bushel.
We take great comfort in knowing that the apostles spent the first Easter hiding in a room, fearful and waiting to see if what Jesus said was true; that he was going to rise from the dead. We are drawing closer to God as we focus on the true meaning of the resurrection without the distractions (albeit blessings) of material comforts and traditions.
Schmitz Family Missions 