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The churches have not been exempt from the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic. Churches have closed, liturgies cancelled, ‘virtual’ participation almost normal in many countries.
In this context, is there an appropriate Christian response? What can we learn from the responses of religious people to previous pandemics? Is there any model of response that can help Christians when, inevitably, there will be further pandemics in our lives?
Pandemics and Spiritual Seekers – a collection of essays, poems, prayers and reflections – records various responses, ancient and contemporary. It includes the insights of saints, mystics and celebrated writers who have left us their thoughts of how to make sense of it all; it includes the responses of contemporary faithful people, sharing their experiences of anxiety, distress, fear, uncertainty and hope. All of them offer opportunities to reflect deeply on the theology and spirituality of the pandemic.
The theological response includes those who see the pandemic as an opportunity to consider the nature and function of the church itself in such troubled times. Pope Francis has proposed that the church should be a ‘field hospital’, implying a moving away from traditional boundaries to exercise the healing ministry of Jesus to people affected by the pandemic – those afflicted spiritually as well as physically and mentally.
The subtitle of the book ‘Locating our invisible wounds’ suggests that the pandemic may be a kairos moment for the church, an opportunity to consider what the community called church offers to wounded humanity – what needs to change within itself as it seeks and offers faithful responses to the challenging, pandemic events in our lives.
