Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
What are some of the craziest lengths you’ve seen people go to connect with others during the pandemic? In the beginning when most everyone was completely locked down, we would hear about drive-by parades for birthdays, gift drops, giant signs on the front lawn congratulating a recent graduate. I even saw on @goodnewsmovement on Instagram a family built a plastic wall over their door with plastic tubes coming out on either end, so a child could hug their grandparent.
It’s been a wild ride, with LOTS of Zoom calls with Quiplash games, Kahoots or Facetime “gatherings” with elderly loved ones, since the only opportunities to go out were for businesses that were deemed “essential.” (Luckily, Home Depot was on that list, so my family managed to get some home projects done.) After so many months of being locked down, many people began to venture out more and more, opening up their family circle (or “pod”) a little more, braving playgrounds, retail stores, the boardwalk down the shore, and even day camps. Indoor dining in New Jersey has finally reopened at 25% capacity, which feels like a huge benchmark. People are thrilled to be able to start congregating again in whatever capacity, even if it’s at a distance and with a facemask.
It makes an incredible difference when we can be around other people – especially those we love and want to be around. Or as many of the teens I know can attest to – anybody at all. Although they wouldn’t have claimed to love going to school, many of the teens I know have expressed realizing how much it meant to them, since it was taken away – and how they would much prefer to be in the classroom than to be alone in their room for virtual learning.
Wherever you are in life – whether you are a student returning to a hybrid class model and social-distancing sports practices, or an adult returning to your Lysol-smelling office or bringing your masked toddler to an in-person doctor’s visit – we can begin to ask ourselves what is truly essential. Yes, all of the above-mentioned items are important for our lives to slowly get back on track – but even more essential is caring for the well-being of our soul and our relationship with Jesus Christ. In the Gospel today, Jesus says “Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them.” This is an amazing statement, because he says if just two people gather to pray to God, their prayers “shall be granted to them by my heavenly father.” That’s a powerful way to pray. Jesus is emphasizing the importance of gathering with a faithful community, rather than just praying alone in your room. We are not meant to be individual islands of our own in relationship with Jesus but connected and supported by each other in that relationship – because that way we are stronger.
So, as you begin to venture out more and more, make sure you are also looking for opportunities to connect with others in a faith community. If you haven’t already, check out your Church’s new Mass schedule. If you are at higher risk, some parishes even have Communion from the parking lot so that you can receive Jesus in the Eucharist. See if your Youth Ministry is up to anything (we’ve done plenty of outdoor movie nights, outdoor trivia games, water balloon wars, etc!) Or simply make time to get-together with the people in your life who are an inspiration to you in your faith to discuss what you are experiencing through the eyes of faith, rather than just your own. Be safe – and remember that your soul is essential.
