How fitting it was that the return to full face to face teaching at Good Samaritan and the news that our churches were starting to reopen to more people coincided with the week we celebrated Pentecost Sunday. In so many ways the parallel between the story of Pentecost and the return to normal life after remote learning was not difficult to see. The differences between the two stories need not be permanent ones either as the message of Pentecost Sunday hopefully carries with it new meaning for all of us after the experiences of isolation due to COVID-19.
In the story of Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus were isolated from the outside world, too afraid to venture out in fear of persecution. It may not have been the threat of disease or pandemic like COVID-19, but the fear was real and the consequences of walking the streets as a follower of Jesus of Nazareth was the risk of death. In comes the power of the Holy Spirit and suddenly these same frightened and isolated individuals became a community ready to proclaim the Gospel to the world. The origins of our Church began that day because the disciples, emboldened by the Holy Spirit, were gifted the courage to communicate the message of Christ. Before long this message was carried right across the known world and has continued to spread even to this day.
Flash forward to 2020 and we find ourselves isolated and afraid of the world outside. While a pandemic is a different type of threat to that experienced by the disciples, it is no less reason to be concerned about the dangers of the outside world. Like those early disciples, we too began celebrating the risen Christ in our homes. The rise of online masses and zoom prayer groups ushered in a new way of witnessing our faith. While there are certain benefits to this style of worship, as Pope Francis recently expressed, it pales in comparison to the gifts received by communion in person. So it is with great joy that we are now almost at the point where we can all return to our parish communities. My hope, however, is that like the story of Pentecost, we move beyond our comfort zone and look at ways of doing more to spread the message of Christ.
The hope of a rejuvenation of our faith post isolation was lifted by the actions of our students and staff during the first week back to full time classes. Our Tuesday rosary during the month of May experienced a massive boost in its final week to a point where our Chapel was once again full. On Thursday and Friday the Woolpack returned and with it saw a large group of students and staff willing to serve the less fortunate with much needed blankets and beanies during the Winter season. Adoration is back and perhaps most importantly, this week saw the return of our Friday masses.
I mentioned during the height of the pandemic that Good Samaritan was a place where it was still possible to bear witness to our 2020 theme of “Christ is alive and He wants us to be alive”. Now that we begin to leave our homes and the return to face to face classes is now in its second week, I hope that we continue to welcome the Holy Spirit into our schools, homes, and hearts.
God Bless!