Like so many other activities, we continue to suspend our in-person meeting of TASTE both for everyone's safety and also to comply with Maryland and Federal directives.  That said, we want to engage with each of you to continue our mission and offer you a message of hope and encouragement during this time of considerable uncertainty and anxiety. We realize the coronavirus pandemic is touching most of your lives in very difficult ways. Some of you may have loved ones who have contracted COVID-19, or even contracted it yourselves. Many of you have livelihoods that are being impacted by the closing down of businesses. Several of you are on the frontlines as health care workers, caring for the sick. And there are many other consequences we've not experienced in most of our lifetimes.

We want to assure you that all of us are praying daily for one another. God is sovereign! He is always good, always faithful and He is always trustworthy. Now more than ever, let our fervent prayer be, "Jesus, I trust in You!"  And remember, our Blessed Mother loves all of us and is interceding constantly for us.

Even though we can't be together, even though our churches are closed and we can't receive the Eucharist physically, remember that Jesus has not left us.  As we near the end of Lent, this is the perfect opportunity to unite all of our sufferings with Jesus' sufferings in His Passion. Offer up every ounce of suffering in reparation for sin and for the conversion of sinners, especially those in our own families. Let this truly be a Lent of reparation and redemption! And remain hopeful, faithful, and loving! May God bless each one of you and your loved ones with His love, mercy, and protection!

This week at TASTE

• NEW TALK — In lieu of having Fr. Patrick Lewis' prayer talk, we are making available BILL KEIMIG'S talk from 8 years ago that fits in nicely with our Lenten Theme.  Bill's talk is on "PRAYING BIBLE WITH LECTIO DIVINA."  
• LAST WEEK's TALK — If you have not listened to it yet,  FR. LARRY SWINK'S talk is on our website at this link -- PRAYER AND PRAYER LIFE. If you don't have time right away to watch both videos in their entirety, we recommend starting the first Prayer video at around minute 33:15 and watching how to overcome the obstacles to prayer. Then, the 2nd Prayer video goes into greater detail about making your prayer life more fruitful. While both videos are definitely worth watching in their entirety when you have time, a summary of the article that he references is on the back of the Question Handout which may be helpful for those busy moms who are now home schooling their children.
  

Special Prayer Request:

• RECENT REQUEST —  
  • We received a prayer request after our last weekly email for all of the Franciscan University students who were in Austria and needed to return to the US. This included Jennifer Dougherty's son Andrew, her Goddaughter Emily, and Lisa Sliker’s daughter Kelly, and approximately 100 other students. In spite of so many logistical issues, our good Shepherd led them home successfully. We now pray for each of them and their families for health and safety as one of the boys had a fever.
  • Please pray for Lisa Strawser, a young woman suffering from a  fast spreading cancer. Please pray that doctors may find an effective treatment and that Lisa may be given peace and comfort.
• COVID REQUESTS — We pray for all people affected by Coronavirus worldwide.  We pray that God may put a protective hand on all of the women of TASTE and our loved ones.  We pray for all people being tested for COVID, especially those who get a positive diagnosis.  We pray for all medical personnel on the front lines who selflessly care for the sick. We pray for all people whose livelihood is being impacted by various closures. We pray for businesses and individuals who are developing treatments and vaccines as well as making available masks, ventilators, hand sanitizers and other supplies. We pray for our Federal, State, and Local Government employees who are carefully monitoring this crisis and taking action to minimize its impact.
• CONTINUED REQUESTS — Please continue prayers for: Kate Christianson, Gini Linsenmeyer, Linda Johnson, Kay Robinson, Jan Scott, Cathy Farinelli, Laura Chighizola, Donna Simms d'Almeida, Della Grace Wark, and Fr. John Rapisarda.
• NEW REQUESTS — Please contact Carolyn Horton - cghorton@verizon.net if you are in need of prayer for a significant health concern and would like to be on the prayer list.

RESOURCES 

• MASSES
  • SACRED HEART, LA PLATA — Fr. Larry Swink is filming his daily Mass and posting it on YouTube at noon each weekday.  VIEW
  • ST. MARY OF THE MILLS, LAUREL MD is making available audio streams of the Gospel Reading and Homilies for daily mass.  VIEW
  • THE SHRINE OF ST. ANTHONY, ELLICOTT CITY  is live streaming daily Mass at 8:30 am each morning.  Visit their website and click on the box “Daily Mass”  VIEW
  • ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, SEVERNA PARK is live streaming daily Mass at 8:30 on their Facebook page.  VIEW
• STUDY — Many of our members have subscriptions to and regularly read the Magnificat and/or The Word Among Us.To support Catholics during this challenging time when many Catholics do not have access to Mass, the publishers of both journals are making their websites FREE to everyone. THE MAGNIFICAT and THE WORD AMONG US
• THE QUARANTINED CATHOLIC HUB — Dr. Scott Hahn and the St. Paul Institute for Biblical studies have posted many talks that are currently free.  There are also many good scripture studies for a sale price of $10.00.  VIEW THE QUARANTINED CATHOLIC