PISCATAWAY — For many in the Diocese of Metuchen, Easter was different this year, but for some, the day was business as usual.

The very excitement of the Easter season is that God wants us to cultivate and understand that he is breaking into our hearts right now. He is walking with us through this journey we are all experiencing -   the impact of COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic. These are days where we can find moments of real connection with others and the true value of what life really means comes alive in all of us.

May is the month many eagerly await because it is the time many children receive first holy Communion. Sadly, this year the coronavirus has made pastors postpone this momentous milestone in the spiritual lives of waiting first communicants.

The goal was $19,000 — a play off COVID-19 — so named for the coronavirus disease that emerged during late 2019 in China.

In our Gospel passages in these last weeks of Easter, we start to see a shift from the Resurrection appearances of Jesus, to meditations about the ongoing presence of the Risen Christ in the life of His Church through the Spirit. We hear Jesus promise the Apostles the Paraclete, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. This Gospel beckons us back to the Last Supper and Jesus’ last words with His disciples before being arrested and put on trial. How long Jesus must have thought about what He wanted to share with His dearest friends at this last chance to speak privately with them. He knew what was ahead for Himself with His crucifixion, and what was ahead for the disciples and their ministries. He must have wanted to reassure them that even though things might not appear to be so in the eyes of the world, all would work out well in God’s plan. As they watched His arrest, torture and crucifixion, the Apostles must have felt that evil did have the upper hand, but Jesus did not want them to believe this. 

Last month, as COVID-19 spread across New Jersey places like St. Joseph Senior Center, Woodbridge, where the most vulnerable were cared for, faced major challenges. Many of the staff and residents were infected with the coronavirus. To make matters worse, the center experienced a shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE), especially masks. Little did anyone know it would be a nun who would rally the faithful to help.