Probably at least in the back of your mind, and very likely in the front of your mind, is COVID-19, the Coronavirus. I saw a meme the other day that said something to the effect of: Did you ever wonder what it was like to live in the 14th century? Well, we have two popes and a plague. Obviously, the spread of this illness is not really a laughing matter. But the fact remains that it’s on our minds, even here in church.
As a reminder, if you’re feeling ill, we ask you, as an act of charity, not to come to church. Wash your hands frequently. We’re not holding hands during the Our Father (just fold them in a prayer position), nor doing the exchange of peace, and, for the time being, we’re not going to distribute the Blood of Christ at Mass (recall that, even if you only receive under one species, you receive the entire Jesus). We also have hand sanitizer at the main entrance that you can feel free to use.
Sometimes people will take the opportunity to say that large bad events are punishments from God. Whether it’s a new virus, a hurricane, an earthquake, or any natural disaster, some are quick to pile on the idea that God is punishing us for something. This isn’t really a Catholic view of how God works; there is rarely a one-to-one correlation between something bad happening and God being unhappy (just look at the Book of Job, or especially at the suffering of Jesus). But, in times like these, we can take the opportunity to see what we value, and in what or whom we place our trust.
Because, throughout the history of the Church, saints have pointed out that bad things happening are a reminder to us that God is in charge, and we are not. Again, not that God sends us calamities, but when they happen, they remind us that, even with all our technological advances, we are not the masters of the universe, or even of our own lives. God can certainly use disasters and outbreaks to turn back to Him and act in our life in a way that we recognize that God is God, and we are not.
But something like the outbreak of COVID-19 also tells us where our top priorities are. I will admit, I wanted to watch Powers Catholic boys basketball play in the District Championship last Friday. I’m sure there are many more who wanted to see the Big Ten tournament or the NCAA tournament, even just on TV. As I write this, I just saw that the Master’s Tournament, a tradition unlike any other, was postponed. School won’t be back in session until 6 April. Certainly, there’s the disappointment of buying tickets (sometimes very expensive tickets) and the loss of the expense of traveling, but is that the most important thing in our life?
And where do we look to as far being the base of our hope? While we certainly need to be prudent as far buying supplies to last us if we get quarantined, how many rolls of toilet paper do we need? Are we looking to the government to save us? The government certainly has a role in protecting us and advising us on best practices, but our hope is not in supplies, or a 401K, or even the government. Jesus invites us to make Him our only hope.
And that is where the readings tie in. In the first reading, the people do not put their hope in God. They’re tired, worn out, and thirsty, and they complain that God is not taking care of them enough. Massah and Meribah becomes in Jewish Biblical talk the signs of a lack of trust in God. But God does provide for them, all throughout out their sojourn in the desert.
Or the Samaritan woman. She’s in a desperate situation. Drawing water in the middle of the day was a sign of being a social outcast, much like having a cough right now. She’s an outcast probably because of her multiple husbands. She put her trust in other men. But when she encounters Jesus, He invites her to put her trust in Him, so that she can have living water and never thirst again. It takes Jesus talking with her a while to get her to that point, but she gets there, and realizes that Jesus is the answer to the questions of her life. The same is true for us now. While fear and panic is common, natural, we may even say, we are called to the supernatural, to trust in God, even as we follow best practices for good hygiene. God invites us to trust in Him.
Illnesses are also scary because they remind us of our mortality. Especially in our culture, we avoid death like the plague, if you’ll pardon the expression. We fight it with pills, creams, injections, and anything else we can think of. But, for a faithful disciple, we need not fear death. It is a transition to, our hope tells us, new life in Christ. The saints often remind us to keep death before our eyes daily, not to be dour or depressed, but to make sure that our choices reflect with whom we want to spend eternity.
Let’s be prudent in our choices to avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19. But let’s also not fear or act out of panic. May we come to the well of God’s wisdom, and draw the living water that Jesus promises to provide us. May our hope not be in any thing or comfort that the world says it can provide, but in Jesus Christ, our true hope and joy.
