A NOTE FROM FR. VINCE
If you haven’t noticed, the Universe has hit ‘pause’! Maybe you think it should be said that our world, our lives have hit ‘pause’. A pause not of our own making. It has horrible consequences for our lives, and our livelihood. And, on top of that, we are getting antsy about being out and about. We come to find out that dealing with ‘pause’ is a lot of work. It’s like a train engine putting on the brakes; each car behind it rams the one in front of it, and it’s a chain reaction all the way to the last car. Then we lurch forward again and end up back where we started. For me, whiplash is a good symbol. Use your own….. but they pretty much say the same thing. We’re worn out and haven’t gotten very far. Enough of analogies!
So back to the Universe. Back to God. Are God and our Universe actors or passive bystanders? I vote for actors. The Universe has produced great science that helps us to understand Covid-19 and how to avoid it. We hear a hundred times a day to trust the science. I think following the science on this is crucial for our health. So why don’t we feel better? Of course, our lives and livelihood are in disarray, and we have a right to feel dreadful. But on top of that, there is still something missing we feel in our gut and our soul. Where is God in all of this? Where is our brother Jesus to be found? Easter tells us that Jesus is alive and present to us. The Gospel will tell us this Sunday that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. But what we don’t often remember is that Jesus has handed ‘the Way’ onto us. His presence is in every step we take, but the footprints are ours. Our faith tells us that we must be there for each other. We must trust ourselves! We trust each other to be able to show ‘the Way’ to somebody(s). And when we reach out like that, the Lord will appear to us. And we will be strengthened for the next task. If we want to feel his presence, it’s important to press ‘pause’!