Nothing like the Coronavirus pandemic has ever happened in my life-time. They say the last comparable pandemic was the Spanish flu in 1918 which killed fifty million people worldwide. There is no satisfactory explanation for that pandemic. Some say it originated in the USA not in Spain. Indeed, there have been plagues of one kind or another throughout history but we tend not to think about them or talk about them too much once they are over –a bit like the Great Hunger/Starvation in Ireland..
With the huge loss of life already caused by this Coronavirus and the toll it has taken on those working on the front line the world is in a state of uncertainty and fear. Since I belong to the over seventy bracket, I am confined to the house, ‘cocooned’ as they call it. That is a whole new experience.
While the pandemic continues, the responsibility of helping others to stay alive – by staying at home has become more urgent. The nurses, doctors, the carers, ambulance workers and hospital staff deserve our thanks and admiration. They are the real heroes in our world today. Many have paid a high price for their dedication to the sick. Mary Lou MacDonald who herself became a victim of the virus has paid tribute to them. It is good to hear that both she and Niall Murphy are recovering well. They are needed for the difficult days ahead in Ireland.
This new virus that has spread to every country in the world has affected us all in one way or another. Young people will never forget being off school and locked up in their homes. Workers have been suspended and factories closed. Many jobs are at risk. Some shops remain open and the workers deserve credit for providing a necessary service.
As an older priest I can only watch and wait until we are given the all-clear to move out again into our parishes and churches. Some priests provided Masses and devotions via the webcam which is much appreciated. For almost fifty years, I have been active in various parishes and ministries. Now I have had to stop all the activity. It is most unusual for me to be cocooned.
Life will hardly ever be the same again. The Church will hardly be the same again. I hope it is not a return to the status quo when the pandemic passes. Let us hope that a safer and more humane world will emerge after this, that nations will dismantle the weapons of war and mass destruction; that the nations of the world will unite to deal with Climate Breakdown and save our planet Earth, Let us hope that governments around the world will invest in health care instead of weapons of mass destruction. Let the governments pay the nurses a just wage and let them start to care for all the citizens especially the poor and forgotten in our world.
The words and antics of Mr Trump are not encouraging. Perhaps his performance during the pandemic in the USA will result in his exit from US and world politics at the election in November. That would be one positive outcome. He has not been an influence for good on our planet.
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