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"Having hope during the fear of coronavirus" by Mary Lou Rosien (CatholicMom.com) Image credit: Pixabay.com (2017), CC0/PD[/caption] I have been thinking a lot about the current crisis; I have an autoimmune disease, my son has asthma, my mother and sister have rheumatoid arthritis, and both my husband and I are scheduled for surgery within the next few weeks. I could choose fear, but as I reminded a friend recently, fear has no purpose here: prudence does. Obedience is the better part of love. Think of the saints who requested the start of new orders and were denied (at first). They did not act in pride and disobey; they were completely obedient. I too must act in obedience and in prudence. I am following diocesan protocols and using the faith and reason that the Lord has blessed us all with. I am filled with hope! Our culture has become negative and divided. We judge others on social media posts, assumptions, and political leanings. Perhaps God knew we needed a “time-out.” Maybe we take our social interactions for granted. We take the ability to go to Mass and the great gift of the Eucharist (daily if we desire) for granted. We find so much to be angry about or complacent about. What if this is a reset? It is interesting that the time most government officials have set for things to return to normal is Easter. A new spring, the Resurrection, a new beginning for all is about to be upon us! Imagine a month from now … the crisis is contained or resolved. Mass returns to normal. We gather for worship, events, and reunions once again. People are happy to see each other again. We greet each other with the hug that we took for granted before “social distancing.” Companies hire, people shop, the stock market bounces back up. What a joyful time we have ahead of us! After this long Lent, Easter will come. After this long winter, spring will follow. After the darkness of the night, joy will come in the morning!
Copyright 2020 Mary Lou Rosien