RBWords - Volume 32 - Number 4: April 2019
Something to Think About
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT – It is difficult to think of anything but the pandemic of COVID-19 “coronavirus” right now. The subject gets into everything because the conditions impact everything. I have been in a “stay at home” mode since March 17th. At the age of 77, I am considered to be in a “high risk” category. Two of us in our Dominican house here in Lubbock are in that situation. The three younger friars (all below 60) are doing all the shopping and errands. My daily morning walk is limited to the church property. The university is shut down and the Diocese of Lubbock is on “lockdown.” Things lifted a bit on this past Sunday to allow reception of communion in a “drive by” situation. I sat on the front lawn of our house, across from the big parking lot that served as the staging area, and waved to parishioners as they drove away! Just before that, Sunday Mass was celebrated in an empty church with 10 people present – the maximum allowable.
The statistics are not pleasant, whether measured in human or economic terms. And the tension between the two terms is palpable with people feeling they must choose between health and livelihood. The political noise surrounding important decisions is even less pleasant and no doubt various “heads will roll” as the blame-game continues.
What is clear is that the world was not prepared to be attacked by this invisible force. All our spiritual, psychological, physical and emotional resources have been tested and strained. Everyone has the same enemy and is fighting it in different ways! We are all living according to: Wash hands often, wear face masks, stay home and maintain physical distance if we leave home. Our faith is being tested by the absence of sacramental events and we are rediscovering ancient teaching about “spiritual communion” or “communion of desire.” In fact, we are living in a time of “rediscovery” and must await the “next” normal with God’s help.
IT’S SOMETHING TO THINK AND PRAY ABOUT.
It Has Been Said
When we live our lives as missions, we become aware that there is a home from which we are sent and to which we have to return. We start thinking about ourselves as people who are in a faraway country to bring a message or work on a project, but only for a certain amount of time. When the message has been delivered and the project is finished, we want to return home and to give an account of our mission and to rest from our labors. One of the most important spiritual disciplines is to develop the knowledge that the years of our lives are yours “on a mission.
Henri Nouwen in BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY – A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith
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