How God Is Acting Amid the
Coronavirus Crisis
With most of the nation under
stay-at-home orders, the media are taking an upbeat attitude to the tragic
lockdown. Most treat it as a temporary measure that we must endure before
getting back to normal.
Thus, the Internet is full of
lists of things we can do while at home. They present lockdown as an
opportunity for projects, hobbies, movies and home cooking that we never had
time to do before. People can develop better family relationships and improve
their marriages.
All these things might help people cope with the crisis.
However, I think this is a shallow approach. It reveals a fear of going deeper
into our predicament. No one asks questions about the immense damage to the
economy, the duration of the crisis or the serious possibility that things
will not return
to normal.
What Are Americans Thinking
About?
We need to look deeper into the
minds of countless Americans if we are to cope. We need to go beyond the
Internet lists. Many have lost their jobs and are suffering. At this stage, I
cannot say where this crisis will lead. But something profound is happening,
and I suspect a lot of people are searching for answers.
Exploring these currents can
encourage us to see that we are not the only citizens thinking beyond the
superficial pastimes the media propose. My report will be based on a
survey sent out to a group of 150 similarly-minded Catholics asking how the
crisis has impacted them negatively and positively and what they are thinking
about.
I realize the sample is very
limited. Any kind of analysis will be anecdotal. However, the results were
surprising. It was not about home projects or personal development. The answers
were very spiritual.
Thus, I will give the three
positive and negative themes found in the responses that impressed me.
Three Positive Things
This survey of Catholics took
as a given that all would be afflicted by the lack of Sacraments at the time
when they need them the most. Indeed, most sorely lamented the closing of
churches and services.
The first theme that impressed
me was the number of those who said that they are praying much more, and more
fervently, as a result of the crisis. Parents and families are praying more
together. They are reading spiritual books and fortifying themselves in the
Faith.
“My faith is stronger in the
trial,” said one. “It has allowed me much more time for prayer and
contemplation!
“This time of social isolation
has allowed me to deepen my prayer life,” said another. “I find that I am
spending more time in prayer, up to at least two hours a day, as well as
thinking about how I can better live my life as a child of God.”
“I am led to pray the rosary
several times a day instead of just at night when I go to bed. I have also gone
to church each day just to sit in front of the tabernacle. Thank God our church
is still open for prayer.”
One person reports, “seeing
with much more clarity the implications of all my sins.”
A second positive theme is
increased contact with the family. The lockdown has forced people together in
the home. Despite the hardships of unemployment, many family members are
grateful for the time they can spend together. Others have reconnected from
afar with relatives and friends. “It has helped me to be more thoughtful,”
wrote one respondent.
The third way the crisis has
been positive is that people report that their lives have slowed down. “We are
enjoying the slower pace and the opportunity to be together more,” wrote one
mother.”
Yet another wrote of the joys
of “slowing down and learning what is important.” People seem to rejoice in
being relieved of the burden of speed.
Three Negative Things
The most negative impact of the
crisis is the anxiety over job loss. People naturally are concerned about their
families and livelihood. However, even this concern takes on a spiritual
dimension. Many see these changes as an opportunity “not to take things for
granted” and to “challenge them to have more faith in God.”
A second negative impact is
a concern for others who are suffering misfortune, illness and
unemployment. Many are praying for others and looking for ways to help them.
They are also missing those social relationships that are now severed at this
time
A final negative theme is
worrying over America’s future. Some are seeing “how horrific the world really
is” or “the great spiritual chasm” present in our society between those who
believe and those who don’t. One respondent remarked that “so many people
are caught up in just being in motion and rarely contemplate higher
things. Most academics dismiss theology as superstition, confusing all
other religions with the true religion.”
God in Control
These are some topics that Americans
are thinking about during this time of crisis. The results are far from
conclusive. The survey only reflects a tiny sample. However, I suspect that
these themes extend to many more religious-minded Americans.
We are still at the beginning
of this crisis, and thus attitudes can change as things worsen. The replies
challenge us to think beyond the noise that surrounds the coronavirus debate.
One particularly touching
commentary that appeared in several responses to the survey was the notion that
God is in control. Thus, one man wrote:
“The bottom line is God is in
control. You do whatever it takes to stay in the state of grace, do your
distancing, take care of your duties and place everything in Our
Lady’s hands. Don’t worry, have confidence knowing God is in
control. Ask for help to carry your cross and go ahead.”
No comments:
Post a Comment