From our Pastors
How to survive the coronavirus – lessons from a monk.
When confronted with a problem one thing to do is to roll up our sleeves and get to work. If opposition comes then work harder and push through the obstacles. It is an admirable and often wise strategy, and one that has proved highly effective and profitable, for some. But this virus does not seem to care about how industrious we are, or how strong. Brute force and busyness do not seem to stop its spread. In fact, the only successful strategy so far seems to be to slow down and cease the usual activities.
Many of us have been forced into a kind of monkish existence – locked down behind closed doors with either too much or too little contact and either diminished human interaction or little or no time alone or any privacy. Perhaps our faith can offer us some resources not only to survive this time of enclosure but indeed to flourish.
How do we make the most of this time and turn the frustrations, boredom, inpatients and lethargy into a rare opportunity to grow into that person God created us to be.
Contemporary spiritual writer Ron Rolheiser OMI suggests this time of being housebound might be a time when we dig into our rich Catholic storehouse of riches and learn the lessons that contemplative women and men have been practicing for centuries. Rohleiser offers 10 counsels – in summary they are:
Create a routine. Take care of your body. Take care of others. Take time to be alone. Talk through tensions. Pray. Be creative. Take regular time to re-create.
Fr. Mark Lane, c.o. and Fr. Michael Callaghan, c.o.
