As we try to move out of the “sheltering at home” stage, where businesses were shut down and gatherings suspended, we wondered how our life would be. “Going back to normal” vs. “there’s a new normal” marks two different approaches, and both are rooted in human nature. We hope to overcome the crisis fast and adapt.
There are those who want to resume everything as it was before, accepting today’s restrictions, albeit reluctantly. There are others who believe that because the virus hasn’t disappeared and a cure or a vaccine is not yet found, we have to adjust to a life with very limited social contacts, staying mostly at home and connecting through social media.
But what if God is inviting us to rethink our lifestyle? What if this pandemic is more than just an accident, but is rather a wake-up call to change priorities? The book Life after the Pandemic collects reflections by Pope Francis on how the pandemic could teach us something about facing fear and aligning our lives with the Gospel message. I will highlight here three main points he articulates throughout his messages.
Discover what matters
Commenting on the Gospel episode when the disciples were caught in a storm (Mk 4:35), the pope says that we, just like them, were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.
“The storm exposes our vulnerability and shows the false securities we ourselves have constructed.
In this storm, the façade of those stereotypes with which we camouflaged our egos, always worrying about our image, has fallen away, uncovering once more that (blessed) common belonging, of which we cannot be deprived: our belonging as brothers and sisters,” shared Pope Francis on March 27, as he was blessing the world from an empty St. Peter’s Square. He continued, saying that this is “a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not.”
Addressing those who kept society functioning, such as doctors, nurses, supermarket employees, cleaners, caregivers, providers of transport, and the forces of law and order, Francis mentioned: “It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others. We can look to so many exemplary companions for the journey, who, even though fearful, have reacted by giving their lives. This is the force of the Spirit poured out and fashioned in courageous and generous self-denial.”
Focus on peace-building and caring for the poor
A second thought he emphasizes is that of solidarity — on a personal level, as well as in our communities and as a worldwide, human family.
“This is not a time for self-centeredness, because the challenge we are facing is shared by all, without distinguishing between persons,” wrote Pope Francis.
And addressing political leaders, he added, “This is not a time for division. May Christ our peace enlighten all who have responsibility in conflicts, that they may have the courage to support the appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world.”
In a letter to popular movements, he wrote: “How difficult it is to stay at home for those who live in tiny, dilapidated dwellings, or for the homeless! How difficult it is for migrants, those who are deprived of freedom, and those in rehabilitation from an addiction.
“You are there shoulder to shoulder with them, helping them to make things less difficult, less painful. I congratulate and thank you with all my heart… Now more than ever, persons, communities, and peoples must be put at the center, united to heal, to care, and to share.
“Moreover, I urge you to reflect on ‘life after the pandemic,’ for while this storm shall pass, its grave consequences are already being felt… I want all of us to think about the project of integral human development that we long for and that is based on the central role and initiative of the people in all their diversity, as well as on universal access to those three Ts that you defend: Trabajo (work), Techo (housing) and Tierra (land and food).”
See how we are all connected While in many countries there are great divisions and polarization, the pandemic teaches us the opposite: only united can we face the challenge of the coronavirus and the economic consequences of its worldwide spread.
“If we have learned anything in all this time, it is that no one saves himself. Borders fall, walls collapse, and all fundamentalist discourse dissolves before an almost imperceptible presence that manifests the fragility of which we are made,” states Pope Francis.
In line with his appeal to think about the poor, he quotes Genesis: “It is the Lord who will ask us again: ‘Where is your brother?’ (Gen 4:9), and in the way we respond, may the soul of our peoples be revealed to us. This is the reservoir of hope, faith, and charity in which we have been born, and which, for so long, we have anesthetized and silenced. If we act as one people, even in the face of other epidemics that threaten us, we can make a real impact.”
The pope sees the pandemic as an opportunity to end the “globalization of indifference” that affects individuals and peoples.
“May we find within us the necessary antibodies of justice, charity, and solidarity. We must not be afraid to live the alternative — the civilization of love… This is a civilization of hope: against anguish and fear, sadness and discouragement, passivity and tiredness. The civilization of love is built daily, uninterruptedly. It requires a committed effort by all. For this reason, it requires a committed community of brothers and sisters.”
From this perspective, we can see something good coming out of this collective suffering. We might be able to recognize and perceive our connectedness in a new way and reacquire hope for a better future.
“In this time of tribulation and mourning, I hope that where you are, you will be able to experience Jesus, who comes to meet you, greets you, and says:‘Rejoice’ (see Mt 28:9),” Pope Francis concludes.
