On March 9, 2020, all of Italy suddenly fell silent and stood still. The country saw a rapid rise of coronavirus cases, leaving the government with no choice but to impose a nationwide quarantine. Gone was the hectic but musical traffic speeding down cobblestone streets and gliding down narrow canals. In the great drama of Life, humans retreated behind the curtain into a kind of interlude, while unsuspecting characters took center stage.
After some time passed, Italy’s waterways began to clear up, revealing vibrant fish underneath. “Mother Nature is trying to tell us something,” someone told me. That may very well be the case, but more importantly, what is God trying to tell us? Like fish in a river, we instinctively swim forward, but do we even know what we are striving for? How can we, when the water of our hearts and minds are clouded by the impurities of sin and distractions?
It is wasted energy to continue speculating the missteps in controlling and eradicating the coronavirus pandemic. When the reality of mortality suddenly becomes acute, there is no other subject that deserves better study: our souls. Think about it. When was the last time we deeply examined our souls?
It is no news that our lives are busy, noisy, and fast-paced to the point that it seems clichéd now. And for what? That is not to say that our commitment to our families, jobs, ministries, charities, and recreational activities are trivial. Rather, do we have God, instead of our egos, at the center of everything we do? Is following God’s Will for us, in relation to our vocation and relationships with others, our reason and purpose in our lives?
We can lament over unrealized goals or dreams this past year. However, I hope that we also recognized this time of quarantine as an opportunity to not only show gratitude for our blessings but to also renew our personal relationship with God. Let us not let the pandemic dampen our spirits, but rather fortify our resolve to reinvigorate our faith and intensify our love for God.
We may feel that He is very far from us, but He has always been there by our side. We may just have been too distracted by the world’s fluff to notice. Or worse, we may have thought ourselves self-sufficient and all-powerful, setting God aside as irrelevant.
How can we find our way back to God again? If unsure where to start, just pray, and do not worry about it being awkward if it has been a while. God is just overjoyed that we are speaking with Him again. If we truly open our hearts and take the time to listen, the Holy Spirit will guide us in whatever is troubling us.
Attend Sunday Mass via livestream online or in person, if it is safe to do so per county or state guidelines. Visit with our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration. Go to confession, preferably once a week. Seek out our Blessed Mother Mary and aim to pray the daily rosary with sincerity and humility. Take a break from the all too frequent “doom and gloom” news content and find hope and solace in the lives of the saints. Read the Bible, and if desired, pair it with a reliable guide to make it manageable.
We may be thinking, “I do not have time for all this. I am way too busy.” However, if there is something we really want to do, we do everything in our power to make it happen. We look at our schedule of activities and see where we can “trim the fat.” Is it really important to binge-watch a favorite TV show on Netflix or browse the pages of social media accounts for the majority of the afternoon and evening?
Yes, for our health, it is important to relax and to stay connected with close family and friends, especially during this difficult time, but let us make the effort to make time for God. If we find engaging in our spiritual life boring or a chore, let us pray that we will be able to love God the way that He loves us, freely and unconditionally. Be patient, it is a journey in which God is more than happy to accompany us. In time, the water will clear and we will see our true destination.
___
