Walking Together Through the Pandemic

We have travelled through several phases of this very difficult experience.  To think about how many people and how profoundly the pandemic has affected people all over the world -- it is too big to think about.  Here in Canada we are fortunate now that many people are vaccinated.  We don't yet know what the Delta variant will bring.  We will have to remain prudent.  Thankfully, fewer people are being hospitalized and the prospect is that there will be, if we are patient, a gradual tapering of the problem. 

Whether running a race, or waiting for the end of school, or anything else that takes lots of time, the last stretch is the hardest!  There is something very satisfying about seeing improvement and recognizing that it has been the work of so many.  Runners thank those who paced them and coached them and their parents who took them to practices.  In school, in hindsight, we often realize the deep and steady efforts of some outstanding teacher and the merits of the concerns of our parents that we did finish our homework. 

It is true that the pandemic is on a much larger scale and improvement relies on many people and resolving complex questions.  It is different in scale, but not different in kind.  Seeing it taper down and have a diminished effect will energize us and encourage us. 

And that's just at the human level.  Whether we think about Simon of Cyrene helping Jesus to bear the Cross or the many graces involved in the spread of the Christian faith at different times and in different places, we realize the dynamism of "catching" the faith.  We are so overwhelmed with disturbing news of all sorts that we can inadvertently let go of the good we are doing, when difficult times should prompt us to do the opposite.  To counter the brokenness of humanity we need Christ and we need to say, "Yes", to His call to do our part cheerfully in bearing the burden.  There are alredy many fruits that go unadvertized.  This is the leaven that has always fueled the faith and contributed to the good of the human family.