Lent and Social Distancing
By Caitlin Bootsma
This Lent, we're being asked to give up something we probably never would have willingly chosen as a sacrifice: interacting with other people in a live setting. With grocery stores running out of food and toilet paper, kids home from school, companies scrambling to work from home and every public event cancelled, you may be thinking nostalgically of when you were only giving up chocolate or beer.
Yet, it is the hard reality that we don't always choose our crosses. During this liturgical season, we are already uniting our hearts with Jesus who said "yes" to His Cross even though He didn't need to. He did so out of love for us, to give us life. This impulse to love others through sacrifice may be familiar to you—even if you are "low risk" for the Coronavirus, staying home means you may be keeping the vulnerable from contracting the virus.
Even harder still for many of us is that many dioceses have cancelled public Masses for the safety of the community.
So, is there any good that we can find in this? We know that in suffering there can be redemption. Just a few things come to mind. One, if you look around, you may already see the generosity of a community that is separated by physical space but united by their desire to help one another—through financial support, childcare, social support provided by regular phone calls, etc. Two, we have the opportunity to practice gratitude. Yes, we are isolated, but many of us have our health, roofs over our heads, our family with us, and even the creature comforts of streaming movies, courses, free showings of the opera, and more. Three, during this time away from Mass, we may come to long for the Eucharist in a whole new way. May this be a time where we grow in our relationship with Jesus and the ones we are "stuck" in the house with!
On the practical side, here are just a few suggestions to structure your days:
- Start the day in prayer. Punctuate your day with the Morning Offering, the Angelus, Grace, and an Act of Contrition. Invite your household to join you.
- Get some fresh air—but keep that six feet of distance! If possible, spend some time getting some Vitamin D. Notice the signs of God's creation as Spring begins—birds, growing plants and rising temperatures.
- Schedule your days. Working from home can be a challenge, even more so if you have kids with no childcare. The night before, prepare as much as possible for your day, but also prepare to be flexible. If at all possible, you may need to work opposite schedules from other adults if they are available in your home. Or, as in the case of some of my friends, after the kids go to bed.
- Spend some time on self care in the absence of community care. Get some exercise (even if from a YouTube video), reflect in a journal, etc.
- Pursue something new—pick up a life-giving hobby! While it may seem that everything is cancelled, you may now have time to spend some time learning. Take an online class, pick up a book, or listen to podcasts and, who knows, you may leave this time with a whole new area of expertise.
May the Lord be in your hearts and in your home!
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