May 28

by David Lins  |  05/28/2020  |  (Being) Catholic Matters

Today’s Readings: ACTS 20:30; 23:6-11 PS 16:1-2, 5, 7-11 JN 17:20-26

As we come down the homestretch of this grand experiment (Do I mean this daily column or our nation’s response to the latest corona virus? I’ll never tell.), I think it’s time to reflect for a moment.

As Catholics, are we called to value every human life? We absolutely are!

As Catholics, are we called to be willing to die for our Faith? We absolutely are!

Those last two lines represent the difficulty and the divide this pandemic has caused, even within the Roman Catholic Church.

Not that you asked, but let me share what my thought process has been throughout this ordeal.

First things first – I’m glad I’m not the Bishop. I’m only responsible for my family. Not the 1,225,677 Catholic souls in the Phoenix Diocese.

Having said that, my small family immediately began attending streaming Masses every Sunday. We dressed as though we were going to Mass on a church campus. We stood, sat, and got on our knees.

We took extra precautions at the beginning and I went about the impossible task of finding a few sources I trusted the most, tossed them all in a blender, and went with the recommendations that made the most sense. If you blatantly lied to me, you lost my trust. (A prime example being, “Don’t buy masks! They don’t work! Oh. And the front-line workers need them! Why? Because they actually might help and we don’t trust that you won’t buy them all.” Huh?)

Once we saw the looming economic devastation, we decided to buy at least one dinner from a local food place each week (which is much more than usual). We continued to take strong precautions along the way. And once we began to recognize the psychological fallout, we went out of our way to reach out to friends and family. Which included visiting people driveways for distanced conversations.

I’ve never understood how Home Depot or Walmart is safer than a church is proper social distancing is observed. Not for a moment.

We have remembered that all media thrives on worst case scenario fear and have begun to fact check every stat thrown out anywhere we see it. We are now thrilled to be attending Mass in-person. It has been like an oasis in – well – a desert.

Today’s Psalm sums it up. “Keep us safe, O God; you are my hope.”

David is the Director of Faith Formation at Our Lady of Joy. If you have comments or questions, send your emails to dlins@oloj.org.

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