United in a common struggle

One of the things that I have noticed about people who struggle to make sense of this COVID-19 is the change that has come over people.  Neighbors are walking more and meeting other neighbors.  People are stopping along the sidewalks and in parking lots to talk to one another.  Parents are in the streets and yards doing things with their children.  Perhaps what is happening is a new awareness that this virus shows no boundaries.  It unites all of us in a common struggle to make sense of our world today.  During this time of lent the readings from the Old Testament point to the journey people were taking as they fled Pharaoh and were now wandering the dessert.  A dessert is a cold hearted place without forgiveness.  Yet in their journey through the struggle of Lent the people got their grumbling out of the way and then turned to seeking God’s will in their life.  That was a journey thousands of years ago, and yet it is one that we go through now.  Perhaps what God is doing is letting us see the fact that we are all in this mess together.  Age, income, boarders, nothing stops this virus.  But the love of God, the closeness we feel from God, does have the power to unite us in a common struggle.  I pray these last days of lent will give you a new perspective on how important God is in our daily life.  And also give us the opportunity to see how much affection and love we have for one another.  In our suffering we truly become The Body of Christ.   Fr. Mike