EMMANUEL IN THE PANDEMIC

It seems that everyone was happy to say good bye to 2020 and move on in hopes that 2021 will be better. I guess that to a lot of people it must seem that in 2020 the world slipped beyond God's grasp and is now tumbling in a free fall towards chaos.   

Early this morning (Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021) as I sat in church I opened to the first reading for today's (Saturday's) mass, from the First Letter of John 2:22-28.  I couldn't help noticing that in the space of five verses one word is repeated six times: the verb "remain," which is one of John's favorite words. In Greek, μένω ménō (men'-o) means "to stay, remain, abide". It is often used to describe the deep, intimate and mysterious mutual indwelling of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In this morning's passage, however, it's used to describe how the Word remains in us and we remain "in the Son and in the Father." 

When I saw this passage I immediately thought of another aspect of the word, namely "to remain permanently, to abide." The Word became incarnate for us and "abides" with us forever. "Emmanuel, God is with us" describes a condition that will last for eternity, not just for the Christmas season.

So, how does this rich verb help us to reflect on the pandemic? Here's what occurred to me: God abides with us and with all of creation, no matter how chaotic, how painful and absurd everything looks to us with our limited intellects. It takes courageous faith the keep insisting the God is somehow still in control of the world, and that God's loving plan for the world is moving forward every day. 

Some of New York's 45 mobile morgues

Emmanuel is with us walking in the corridors if the ICUs, and among the refrigerated trailers filled with corpses of Covid 19 victims for whom there is no longer room in the morgues. Emmanuel. God-with-us, is not only present with us, but comes in mystery "with healing in his wings" to encourage us, to lift us up, to give us the strength and energy to keep moving on. 

The year 2020 was filled, like any other year, with the healing presence of God's love for you and me and all of humanity, indeed of all creation. It's just that 2020 demanded, it would seem, a lot more trust in God's unfailing goodness and infinite love. And we don't do too well with things "infinite" and "mysterious." So, there's one good aspect of the year 2020: It gave us plenty of exercise in the virtues of Faith, Hope and of course Charity toward one another.

May the new year of 2021 offer us many more such opportunities, but maybe in ways that are easier for us humans to understand.

O come, Emmanuel!