Observing Easter in the time of coronavirus
The pandemic known as COVID-19 has been a nondenominational thief. The precautions we’ve had to take against catching or transmitting the novel coronavirus have robbed us of many things we hold sacred at this time of year: spring break vacations and spring trainings, Passover
Seders and Easter liturgies, wedding feasts and birthday parties, graduations and recitals, not to mention regular schooling and regular socializing, regular workdays and regular paychecks. We are reeling from the loss of normalcy to this equal-opportunity disease.
Christians have lived through Holy Week this year without the traditions we have taken for granted all our lives. Palm Sunday, the Stations of the Cross, the Washing of the Feet, the Last Supper Mass, the Passion reading of Good Friday, the candlelit
Easter Vigil beginning after dark on Holy Saturday. None of these liturgical events have happened in our parishes this spring. Easter in the time of the coronavirus is a private, or at best a virtual, affair. And yet we people of faith welcome the Resurrection of Jesus today with the special hope that all will again be well, someday, somehow.
Because spring has sprung and the poppies have bloomed, nature’s cycle being undeterred by the virus. Our human lives have been disrupted, but the sea
We’ve discovered that we have it in us to summon the inner tools we need to help us carry on with life in the face of this unmatched moment. And whether we celebrate the holiness of today or not, the spirit of Easter, of rising and renewing, can sustain us.
sons have not stopped turning. The tides still come in and out; the moon still waxes and wanes, indifferent to our suffering. Our economy may be bleeding from grievous wounds, but the sun still rises and sets. And as the world continues to spin, we are finding that we will only flourish if we tend to each other, to the relationships that sustain us, to the love that binds us together even as we stay 6 feet apart.
Think of the good and valuable lessons we’ve learned during this time of quarantine. We’ve had to practice patience: Online orders take longer to arrive. We’ve had to practice mindfulness: Don’t shake hands or touch your face. We’ve had to practice thoughtfulness: The older relative or friend or neighbor might need some help. We’ve had to practice problem-solving: how to work from home or teach our children effectively. We’ve had to practice forgiveness: People behave differently when they’re scared. We’ve had to practice gratitude: for the lives we hope to get back to leading. We’ve had to practice everything we’ve ever preached: This crisis requires no less of us. And we’ve had to rise to this extraordinary occasion without the physical presence and support of our loved ones and our trusted communities.
Yet we are doing it. We are managing. We are coping. We’ve discovered that we have it in us to summon the inner tools we need to help us carry on with life in the face of this unmatched moment. And whether we celebrate the holiness of today or not, the spirit of Easter, of rising and renewing, can sustain us.
“In the midst of isolation,” said Pope Francis in a recent address, “when we are suffering from a lack of tenderness and chances to meet up, and we experience the loss of so many things, let us once again listen to the proclamation that saves us: He is risen and is living by our side.”
Understandably, the words of Pope Francis do not speak to everyone. In the context of the wild and beautiful diversity of America, we are free to believe in many different things, or in nothing. But it is essential during this time of pandemic to believe in ourselves and in each other, in the good we can do as individuals and as a people, and in the myriad ways we can rise to meet this challenge to our well-being.
Like many disrupted or delayed events, Easter won’t be the same this year. We may do without the trappings, the Easter bonnets and Easter baskets and Easter bunnies. We won’t gather in public for sunrise services or brunches or parades. We will, however, remain in the palm of God’s hand as we weather the inconveniences and indignities and yes, even the tragedies that lie before us. With a deepened sense of Easter spirit, we will rise in many small ways as we strive to be decent to each other, to do whatever we can to serve and support each other in this troubled and broken and currently-upside-down world. Even from a social distance, still we rise.