Formation Friday
• Read a portion of the Gospel each day. Think about how it applies to your life at this time.
• Keep in touch with our fraternities, check on homebound members, keep the fraternity newsletter going, have a prayer conference call.
• Use social media to share positive messages and to let people know that we are people of prayer whether the churches are open or not.
• Now we have the time to work on conversion. Think about how each day we spend in quarantine helps us to change for the better.
• Now there is ample time for Morning and Evening Prayer; now there is time for sitting with the Lord and listening to what he has to say.
• During this difficult time, we are called to give selflessly to others. Perhaps a donation to a food bank; perhaps home-schooling a child; perhaps caring for an anxious elderly parent; perhaps finding the patience to spend extra time with our families.
• Working from home is not as easy as it would seem. Helping to home-school children requires talents we think we do not have. Those who must serve as nurses, doctors, First Responders, and food service personnel need courage and strength to leave the house each day.
• We are now forced to be detached from all sorts of comforts. Take this time to simplify. Detachment and self-emptying help us to make room for Jesus in our minds and hearts.
• Let us be single-minded in our desire to love God. What does this take?
• Accept with joy that you are spending time with your family. This is a good time to ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of patience.
• If you are a Minister or a Council member, what is your responsibility to the rest of the fraternity? Find ways to maintain fraternity. Find out how the members are doing. Does anyone need help? Are your members feeling isolated? Would a phone call or an email help? How about setting up a specific time when all members of the fraternity will pray the rosary or meditate on a certain passage of Scripture. We are ALL responsible for being mothers and brothers and sisters to one another.
• We can be examples of courage whether it is only taking one or two items from the store shelf; making room in line for an older person or encouraging others to follow CDC guidelines.
• In many cases, we are not allowed to work at our jobs. How do we use our talents for the good of those around us? How can we serve when we are not getting paid?
• We need to ask for the grace to be gentle with one another and to remember what we do affects all those who come in contact with us.
Diane F. Menditto, OFS
