In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus assures us of His never ending love, as He promises that He will never abandon us and that He will send us another Advocate, the Holy Spirit to be with us and to uphold us.  Indeed, Jesus remains with us in a real and tangible way through the Eucharist.  During this shelter-in-place, we experience how the Holy Spirit brings us into a spiritual communion with our Eucharistic Lord whenever we participate in the Holy Mass virtually.  The Holy Spirit also ignites the longing in our hearts to reunite with Christ sacramentally after an almost 2-month Eucharistic fast, at that future time when God finally permits our homecoming Eucharistic Celebration as one St. Luke faith community.

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has issued a memo highlighting the First Steps in Reopening for Public Mass.  Archbishop Cordileone has been meeting with his brother bishops in California and has formed a committee of pastors and lay people to draft safety protocols, in keeping with current government regulations, that will enable parishes to begin accommodating people for public Mass.  The dispensation to attend Sunday Mass will remain in place, especially for the elderly and those who are vulnerable.  He emphasized that Sunday is still the Christian Sabbath and so must be kept holy, even if in-person attendance at Mass is not possible.  Our Sunday obligation can be fulfilled by attending any livestreamed Mass in the Archdiocese via the Archdiocesan website.  You will also find in the website an Act of Spiritual Communion and other resources (click here to go to sfarch.org/keeping-the-sabbath). To read the Archbishop's Memo, click here.

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth...whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him,” says the Lord. 

John 14:16-17, 21