If there is anything the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak has shown the world, it is the importance of authentic communications. The pandemic has forced us to protect ourselves from an unseen enemy by staying home, avoiding physical contact with people. Thus, communicating with our loved ones has proved vital in preserving life and sanity.

Man is a social being and, just as food and water are essential to survival, we discovered how much touching base with the outside world is a necessity. Under lockdown, we were hungry for news, for information, for consolation and assurances. Those who were forced to be quarantined away from their loved ones relied on their smartphones and computers as these gadgets became a literal lifeline during the period of enforced isolation.

Communicating unites. It brings people together, whoever they may be. With the power of wireless communication and the Internet, communicating with people across the globe has become a real-time, more economical, and more practical endeavor.

Back in World War II, when Chiara Lubich and her first companions would rush to the air raid shelters as bombers attacked the city of Trent, and as they saw everything crumble all around them, they held on to their faith. This was their lifeline. They brought only the Gospel which became their guide to fully comprehend what God wanted to tell them in those trying times. And from that moment, their mission was made manifest. They never dreamed of starting a movement, yet today, it is spread all over the world. We seem to find ourselves in a similar bind today, in the war against COVID-19, among other things. Perhaps it’s high time we assessed what our lifeline is today. Should we continue pursuing the path we have chosen in pre-pandemic times? If we have found our purpose, what should we do to make a radical step in that direction?

Back then, Chiara understood her marching orders from God when she said:  “…we often encouraged one another to live in such a way that even if the impossible were to happen, and all the New Testaments in the world were to be destroyed, people could practically rewrite the Gospels by looking at the way we lived.” (C. Lubich, May They All Be One: Origins and Life of the Focolare Movement, 1969). Her experience makes us realize that we must first apply the Gospel in our lives and only then, can we talk. How? By putting ourselves in the place of our intended audience. How would we want our audience to receive and understand our message? It will be a “major fail,” as the young generation puts it these days, if we do not take into account other people’s feedback (through non-verbal clues, etc.).

How do we ensure that our message is effective and timely? Chiara gave important tips when she said that “we must, first of all, be the salt of the earth (that is, what has value), and afterwards, use the means of communications. We must preserve a Marian style, for Mary is at the heart of our lives. We are, however, a 21st- century Mary, and therefore, a Mary who speaks on radio and appears on TV. We should not undervalue these means as others may do, but use them because that is what is normal today” (Cf. Work of Mary – General Statutes, op. cit., art. 63). She emphasizes “being” before “speaking” and “acting.” True enough, our message strikes home if we are credible witnesses of the Gospel lifestyle of love.

When we act or speak, it is important to make use of the medium that is suitable for the times and the audience. Today, there are various media platforms we can choose from. And we must not be afraid to try out the most modern means, what is most effective to reach as many people as possible.

There are many things we can convey but we must be mindful of the way we deliver it, taking care not to offend the sensibilities of people. We must address others with respect because that is what we would expect from them, too. Let us seek to understand others as much as we need to express our thoughts.

This is also the time to express ourselves. 2020 has become the year of the Great Reset, in more ways than one. It has afforded us, all of a sudden, with the luxury of what was once an elusive commodity, TIME; time to take stock of life and answer the tough questions as a person, as a country, and as a part of the human race: What have we done to get to this point, where the world is brought to its knees by a virus? Will we ever “go back to normal?” What is the new normal? Should we even go back to the way things were before this shutdown?

Pope Francis said it best: “In the first place, what would be good for communication is parrhesia, that is, the courage to speak to one’s face, to speak honestly and freely. If we are truly convinced of what we have to say, the words come. If, instead, we are concerned about tactical aspects — tactical maneuvering? — our speech will be artificial, and barely communicative, insipid, contrived. And this does not communicate anything. Freedom also includes ready-made fashions, clichés, pre-packaged formulas which, in the end, obscure the capacity to communicate. Re-kindle words: Revive words. Because, every word has, in itself, a spark of fire, of life. Reawaken that spark, so that it may shine. Reawaken words: this is the communicator’s first task.” (Pope Francis’ Address to the Board of Directors and Personnel of TV 2000, December 15, 2014)

Let us end with this important nugget from Chiara: “If we do not enlarge our hearts to embrace all of humanity, as the Church wants, as Jesus wished, our unity is not real… Our convent is the world.”

Jenni Bulan