Dear sisters, dear brothers,
for several months now we have been experiencing a time of uncertainty and extraordinary measures that have completely reversed our established daily habits. A time in which we become more aware of the value of life and health, as we face the reality of illness and death.
This time, in which the masks we hide our inner reality behind fall, can become a blessed time for a new encounter with Jesus Christ and with the hope that St. Paul writes about in the fifth chapter of the Letter to the Romans, which does not disappoint.
I thank you all for your patience and responsibility in bearing uncertainty and concerns. Thank you for your prayers and for everything you do for those in need. Thank you for your faith, hope, and love, which may have been refined and perhaps even strengthened in recent months. God guides us through this time of trial, in which we experience the fragility of the world, our own fragility, and the fragility or strength of relationships not only among our closest ones but also in our relationship with God. In the aforementioned letter from St. Paul, three chapters later, there is a sentence: “for those who love God, everything works for good.” Perhaps we are experiencing this special time so that we can more deeply appreciate not only the amazing gift of life and baptism but also thank with gratitude for what we have taken for granted. Experiencing this time can bring blessings.
Nevertheless, we want to ask the Lord for his love, closeness, and help, and also to pray for the end of the covid-19 pandemic, as most of us have been doing since this spring. However, the means at our disposal as believers are much broader than just prayer. They also include fasting and charity. Let us take advantage of the opportunity for a certain “imprisonment in time” that this period has brought, and let us open our hearts to God. Let us offer ourselves to Him.
On four Wednesdays (November 11, 18, 25, and December 2, 2020) I declare a voluntary conscious and tangible fast in the Diocese of Brno for the end of the pandemic, to which we can also add charity for a good cause. All this continues in connection with prayer. I will experience the declared days in this way with everyone who joins.
With prayers for all of you, I bless you from the heart
Vojtěch Cikrle
Bishop of Brno
