On what do we rely?

 Each day seems to pose a fresh challenge in the time of the pandemic. We seek answers and certainty about our future while living in the stress of the moment. We listen to the current reality of a virus that seems to have taken on a life of its own and is highly infectious. We pay attention to health advice and seek to abide by the restrictions which it places upon us. There is a recognition that what confronts us directly impacts our care and concern for each other. What seems commonplace is being challenged as our hearts seek to reach out to comfort and support while our heads urge a natural caution which seeks to prevent further transmission. Yet what we seek to avoid is the fear which builds up social isolation and mutual distrust that raises barriers of support that squanders our commonwealth.

There can be an attitude that seeks to isolate us from the pain and suffering of others. We can start to value our own security and safety as being greater than our social responsibility for the welfare of others. There can be a sense of xenophobia born on the place of residence which can build not just physical barriers but also cultural and social barriers where none existed before. It seems that much of the understanding, cooperation, and mutual support seems to have been broken down over a very short period of time. Thus we are called to retreat into our own private castles rather than engage in the stream of life. We become more self-centred and parochial in our outlook where the world own exists in our own backyard.

The dangers become self-evident in those who foster this mutual distrust as it seeks to find a scapegoat who can bear the sins of another. We can start to fall for false prophecies of doom and death rather than a gospel that preaches compassion and love. I believe this is where Christian communities need to be aware of how we prepare ourselves to engage in a new reality that is good news to others and which is not just self-reliant. This calls for communities that seek to engage with the reality of preaching the Gospel among those who are being affected by the fallout of the pandemic. We need to address issues of mistrust, guilt and suspicion of others. There is a sense where we need to facilitate an inner strength that recognises both the reality of daily living but also a practical response. It calls us to be people who daily seek to be people of prayer and action, who reach out with what is needed for today. This may not be possible through physical contact but through the delivery of messages of hope which keep us connected. We are all in this together!