On the move!

Call it 'wanderlust', call it 'cabin-fever' but I am conscious that it has been over a year since I was on an airplane.  With trips cancelled, conferences postponed and other commitments put on hold, like so many others, I wait to re-book, re-schedule, to look forward. Lest the reader think that I am a seasoned globetrotter, far from it, but life has gifted me with many opportunities linked to my commitments as a religious, to travel and live in different countries and for this I am grateful. The newness, the culture, the people and all the experiences of a new country give me life! How it can change you and leave you connected will often be determined whether you approach that place as a 'tourist' or a 'pilgrim'. 

In this Sunday's Gospel and also in the Gospel yesterday, we see that even Jesus needed to 'get away' to a different place, to rest, to recharge, to pray. Whilst the pace of life has changed for many, for many others it is still as busy but not the same kind of busyness. Restored, Jesus takes up again and moves on to other neighbouring towns and villages to spread the message of the Father's love there too. Today, as a community, we took our usual day of reflection on the first Sunday and indeed it was a blessing to have the stillness and put life into perspective once more. 

We may feel like Job in today's First Reading: "Lying in bed, I wonder, "When will it be day?" Risen I think, "How slowly evening comes!....My life is but a breath, and that my eyes will never again see joy." Like Job, we wonder 'if we will again see joy?': when will we see family, friends? When will we embrace each other without fear? When will be able to go for walks without wondering if we are over a 5 km limit? The list is endless. However, without minimizing the life-changing impact it has on people who are suffering because of the pandemic, we continue to learn the lessons that COVID lockdown can teach. We have to live the 'now' in order to live the 'post-COVID' time. A friend of mine used to gently caution me of the risk of 'wishing' our life away, of perpetually 'projecting' into the future and thus missing the many ordinary yet extraordinary moments of grace which in front of us each day.

We have almost another month to go before our lockdown level is reviewed here in Ireland. I am ever conscious that we are in a marathon not a sprint so we must keep pacing ourselves to stay well. One of our Pauline saints (in the making!), Venerable Maggiorino Vigolungo, had the motto: "Un tantino ogni giorno", "Just a little each day".  If you can't go for a 5km walk, at least go outside the door and get a little fresh air. If the week seems like it is going to be a long one, break it down, just take the next breath, the next hour, the next day. If things feel like they are caving in, reach out, know that you are not on your own. Or if you are someone who are doing reasonably okay during the lockdown, look around for people who may not be able to  'reach out' and may need you to 'reach in'. Jesus reaches into the situation of the house of Simon and by restoring his mother-in-law to health, restores the whole family and the community. Let us never lose sight of our interconnectedness as a human family, especially during these difficult and challenging times!