As we continue to see a decline in the rate of COVID-19 infections and look forward to getting back to our “ordinary” life, what comes to mind is the fact that we’ve been through this process before. Something happens. This time its a pandemic; in the rather recent past, it was mass shootings, a series of racial bias incidents, a tsunami or an earthquake.  Whatever the event, the process is the same. Something happens and it make us realize for a very brief period of time that there is more to life than just the “ordinary” life we tend to focus on. Then we rally around the taken-for-granted, but now threatened, “treasure.” It gets elevated to being the top news of the day. We rally to “save” what is threatened, we feel good about the fact that just about all of us are working together to correct the imbalance, whatever it is, we feel especially good that we are participating in the saving effort.

Right now the cause is the elimination of the COVID-19 threat, helping those who contracted the disease, supporting the family and friends of the virus’ victims and supporting and honoring the healthcare personnel and donors of time and resources.  But after that, as happened with previous “dilemmas,” the emergency passes, things go back to normal and the “treasures” go back to being hidden as we spend most of our time on “ordinary” living.

A CATASTROPHE OR A BLESSING?

In one sense, this seems like a rather haphazard way of “living” our days, weeks, years, decades and lifetimes, but humanity has been doing this since the time of Adam and Eve.  In another sense, it shows that, in whatever we do on a day-to-day basis, however mundane our lives appear to be on the surface, something that we treasure is deep down inside of us and looking for an opportunity to come to the surface. What is it that, even when we don’t consciously tend to it, is still there looking for a chance to come to the surface, make us feel good about ourselves, bring joy once again into our hearts, unite us with each other, make us feel like this is what heaven will be like?  And maybe it resonates with something the Holy Spirit is whispering deep inside of us:  we are, even in the here and now, one with God and one with each other.

It seems that we need celebratory events, birthdays and anniversaries, national and international holidays and, yes, even catastrophes, to remind us of what we “treasure” – what I “treasure.”  And is not that the mission of the Church Christ established and the Mass we celebrate?

JESUS “DID NOT LEAVE US ORPHANS”

Jesus, knowing our weaknesses, gathered and nurtured the Apostles, instructing them while He was in their midst, and through the guidance and inspiration of the Spirit as they continued His work through the Church of His followers. (We, His friends and followers, are that Church!)  Since the beginning, we have gathered, as we do, to remember what we “treasure”, so that in the listening once again to the sacred stories and partaking of the sacred meal, we will treasure the intertwining of God’s life and our lives – all of it – all the more.  We gather, we celebrate, we listen to deepen our understanding of God, ourselves and all of life and all of creation. We come from the “ordinariness” of our otherwise routine busyness with what we think “has” to be done. We stop all of that busyness for an hour to remember that even in our busyness with all those ordinary things, God is there with us. We tend to forget that.  We need these celebratory Masses to remind us of what we “treasure” – what I “treasure.”  It is part of our mission as Christ’s Church to remember, to celebrate – together as One Body.

SPREADING THE “TREASURE”

We need these weekly moments in church and the joy that comes from taking time to re-member what we “treasure.” Through them we let surface once again, and more deeply believe, that we are one with our treasured Triune God and, in this God, we are one with each other, including all those not physically present.  We then return to our “ordinary” lives and activity, spreading the “treasure” wherever we go.

So, I hope and pray that, once you return to your normal everyday life, you and your family will allow what you “treasure” most to bring you back to St. Michael’s community.

Sister Loretta Fernandez RSM

PS.  I recommend that you read or re-read my last post Resurrection, Holy Spirit, Trinity – Mystery or True Reality