One of the realities of the current situation caused by the outbreak and spread of the Coronavirus is that some of the opportunities and freedoms we have always taken for granted are being suspended by both civic and religious leaders.
The Canticle of Zechariah (Lk 1:68-79), which is a daily staple in the Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, begins with the following: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people to set them free" (Lk 1:68). This statement speaks of the people of Israel being "freed" from slavery by the power of God. On Holy Thursday, at the Mass of the Lord's Supper, we hear (or this year at least hopefully read) of this Pass-over to freedom that is known as the Exodus. Christians, of course, believe that Jesus saving sacrifice on the cross and resurrection frees us from the restricting powers of sin and death that is recalled and celebrated during the Easter Triduum. Later on in the canticle it speaks of our being ".....free to worhip him without fear Holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life." Such a statement seems in part to be contradicted (at least for now) by the fact that we are not free to worship him together as a faith community out of fear (or maybe strong concern) that our gathering together might lead to more people contracting the Coronavirus and experience sickness and possible even death as a result of getting it.
In the face of all this, I think about the many refugees in the Middle East and in other parts of the world having most of their freedoms diminished or taken away because they were forced to leave their homes and homeland wondering if they will ever go back to what they knew and lived before they became refugees. While most Christian refugees will not be able to participate at all in the mysteries of the Triduum, they have to face daily, not having enough to eat or drink, no roof over their heads, and very poor conditions of sanitation and hygiene that we do not and will not face during the time of this pandemic nor after it is all over. Perhaps when we gripe about this "trying time" in our lives when opportunities and familiar routines are not available to us, we can think about and hopefully help those whose "trying time" is far worse than ours and most likely will continue long after the Coronavirus is only being written about in history books rather than making daily news for what it is doing to a growing number of people throughout the world. We need to have trust in the Lord more than ever NOW and hopefully echo with faith and hope the words of the 23rd Psalm, "Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil for You, Lord, are at my side with your rod and your staff that gives me courage!" -Verse 4
The Canticle of Zechariah (Lk 1:68-79), which is a daily staple in the Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, begins with the following: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people to set them free" (Lk 1:68). This statement speaks of the people of Israel being "freed" from slavery by the power of God. On Holy Thursday, at the Mass of the Lord's Supper, we hear (or this year at least hopefully read) of this Pass-over to freedom that is known as the Exodus. Christians, of course, believe that Jesus saving sacrifice on the cross and resurrection frees us from the restricting powers of sin and death that is recalled and celebrated during the Easter Triduum. Later on in the canticle it speaks of our being ".....free to worhip him without fear Holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life." Such a statement seems in part to be contradicted (at least for now) by the fact that we are not free to worship him together as a faith community out of fear (or maybe strong concern) that our gathering together might lead to more people contracting the Coronavirus and experience sickness and possible even death as a result of getting it.
In the face of all this, I think about the many refugees in the Middle East and in other parts of the world having most of their freedoms diminished or taken away because they were forced to leave their homes and homeland wondering if they will ever go back to what they knew and lived before they became refugees. While most Christian refugees will not be able to participate at all in the mysteries of the Triduum, they have to face daily, not having enough to eat or drink, no roof over their heads, and very poor conditions of sanitation and hygiene that we do not and will not face during the time of this pandemic nor after it is all over. Perhaps when we gripe about this "trying time" in our lives when opportunities and familiar routines are not available to us, we can think about and hopefully help those whose "trying time" is far worse than ours and most likely will continue long after the Coronavirus is only being written about in history books rather than making daily news for what it is doing to a growing number of people throughout the world. We need to have trust in the Lord more than ever NOW and hopefully echo with faith and hope the words of the 23rd Psalm, "Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil for You, Lord, are at my side with your rod and your staff that gives me courage!" -Verse 4