***
The first confirmed case of the Coronavirus reached the United States 12 weeks ago. New Jersey has been under lockdown for the last 3 weeks.
It feels like we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. We can’t return to the way things were; yet we can’t move forward, either.
Talks of reopening the country are still weeks away.
***
In Easter language, it feels like we’re stuck on Holy Saturday.
***
Jesus dies on Good Friday and he’s raised on Easter Sunday. Holy Saturday is that day in between; it’s a day of waiting.
It’s where we find Mary Magdalene in the Gospel.
Although Jesus has been raised, she’s not accepted this truth just yet.
When the Lord appears to her, for example, she can’t recognize him because she’s been crying her eyes out.
Then when he speaks to her, she turns her back and faces his grave, thinking Jesus is simply the gardener.
It’s only after he calls her by name that Mary recognizes him. Jesus invites her to leap into Easter Sunday.
Once she does, her entire perspective on life will change.
***
We all know we’ll pull through this pandemic.
Although dates are still up in the air, the economy will reopen and life for most of us will return to normal.
But should it? Or are we being invited, like Mary Magdalene, to leap into something new?
What would Easter Sunday look like for America?
***
For example, technology has overtaken our lives.
Instead of spending time with loved ones face to face, we often revert to text messages or emails. At best we use FaceTime or Zoom.
But now that we can’t physically embrace one another we’re hungry for human touch.
Perhaps part of an “Easter America” means putting our phones down, spending more time face to face.
***
This pandemic has also taught us how connected we are – and, perhaps, how connected we can be.
For example, we as a Church have had to find new ways to be pastorally creative.
Instead of temporarily closing up shop, we’ve made phone calls to the elderly to see how they’re doing; we’ve livestreamed Mass; we’ve taken time out of our busy schedules to drop groceries off to a neighbor.
A neighbor who’s name we might not have known before.
Perhaps part of an “Easter Church” means getting to know one another’s names and identifying, in particular, the most vulnerable among us.
***
For now the Coronavirus has us stuck between a rock and a hard place.
In Easter language, we’re stuck on Holy Saturday.
But when the country reopens, we should carry with us the many lessons learned. In particular, just how much we need real human touch.
