Years ago I read that at the end of the 1800’s people generally felt that everything that was worthwhile to invent and already been invented. Everything about medicine was already known. And everything about the universe had already been discovered. Then came World War I followed by the Spanish Flu. It is easy to put our faith in science, medicine or technology. But as I look at that COVID19 has done for us I do not see science, medicine or technology as having adequately prepared us for this nor have they solved the virus. One thing it had brought home to me is that life on this planet is tenuous at best and very short. Eternity, that is going to last a while. Jesus spoke about people preparing for things of this earth. Then he asked the disciples what they were doing to prepare for the Kingdom of God? This pandemic may prove fruitful for us if it turns our minds away from things that perish towards people and the relationships that last forever. Sharing a meal with someone you love can be more than just eating food. Doing something with a person you love can be more than accomplishing a goal. If people truly are the things that matter, and what we do to show our love for them as they show their love for us, then seeing that with the eyes of faith are the most important. I am pretty sure none of us wants “cleanest cupboards in the world” on our tombstone. We want something that reflects whom we have loved and those who have loved us. Maybe this virus can turn us back to one another again, and to the Body of Christ upon the earth.
Fr. Mike