And so I am back after a long
hiatus from writing and contributing to the Magis Deo Newsletter. One text
message from Cesar Sangalang made me turn around. It was a reminder on the
value of community involvement given the circumstances. As if living is not
complicated enough, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everything I know as normal
and manageable.
Suddenly, distance and physical space took on a whole new
meaning. Facts and information need to be verified and validated by critically
examining the source and the intent of its authors before sharing them to the
public. Divisions among people and culture have all been magnified and gaps
appear to grow wider as science and technology push for cures and solutions to
this virus as well as the illnesses that malign society today. To hear news
from the Inter-agency Task Force every day does not help alleviate anxieties
and fears in a time of uncertainty and unprecedented change. School campuses
remain close but there is a need to continue learning most especially at home
and from home. We all find ourselves in this predicament. But, strive we must
to survive. And it is in the struggle where we thrive and find grace.
Take for example the basic health
protocol of frequent hand washing, the observance of social distancing and the
wearing of mask when going out. It all sounds simple to do but these health
practices require generosity and kindness from each of us. It is about personal
care, interior freedom and the challenge to continuously “be”. This is the call
of the time and the teaching of Ignatius no less.
Of the three health guidelines,
it is the wearing of masks that fascinates me to no end. Wearing a surgical
mask, we protect ourselves from the coronavirus and those we get in contact
with. Wearing a mask pre-COVID-19, however, had a different meaning. In the
Marriage Encounter experience, wearing a mask is an act that prevents us from
being authentic and real, but now it is considered an act of love. What remains
as constant is God’s call to continue building a relationship with Him with or
without a mask. Because our ways of loving differ from one another, the
response to the call of nurturing this relationship varies too.
In my quest to find a quiet and
scared space to be with God, I discovered Fall
in Love, a poem by Fr. Pedro Arrupe.
Nothing is more practical than finding God, than
Falling in love
In a quiet absolute, final way
What are you in love with
What seizes your imagination, will
Affect everything.
It will decide
What will get you out of bed in the
Morning.
What you do with your evenings,
How you spend your weekends
What you read, whom you know,
What breaks your heart,
What amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love
And it will decide everything.
This poem helps me work through
the Examen as I reflect on my desires and the grace asked and received
especially in this time of pandemic.
No comments:
Post a Comment