[A guess posted by one of our high school youth ministry students, Haley.]
I'm just going to come right out and say it: this has been the most bizzare Lent in the history of forever. Easter Sunday is in only one week, but it's been much longer than that since the last time everyone was able to congregate in our church. I thank the Lord for technology that allows us to stay connected in our communities and in our church, but watching Sunday morning mass live streamed on tv in my living room is just not the same. Easter Sunday is on April 12 and unfortunately we will have to celebrate the most important day of our liturgical year in quarantine. In our own homes.I have to keep reminding myself that Easter in its simplest essence is true hope. The waiting and expectation of an empty tomb and the end of suffering. Easter is the very opening of Heaven, and the fact that absolutely nothing can defeat Jesus. Not even death.
If we can trust God to defeat death itself, we have to trust Him to do the same for this crisis. For this suffering.
If we can trust God to defeat death itself, we have to trust Him to do the same for this crisis. For this suffering.
It's getting kinda crazy out there. This pandemic is our reality right now. It's all over the media. It's the topic of most of our conversations. We all have to deal with it and we can’t run from it. The fear and anxiety caused by this virus is a very real thing. And being afraid is valid at this moment in time. It's okay to be scared! But we don’t have to be! God does know what He is doing and He will let this entire situation pass. Trust takes courage. Courage just means that we’re not letting this fear, this panic, overcome us. Courage means we’re not letting the painful reality of this crisis squash the hope we have because of The Resurrection.
Everything shut down extremely fast. First it was sporting events. Then they canceled after school activities. And state jazz band competitions, dance recitals, concerts, any gathering of more than 250 people. It quickly got even scarier. Restaurants closed, so did malls. They shut down the schools. Leaving tons of kids stuck at home. Parents who had lost their jobs now feel like they've had to become teachers for their children. It was almost as if God hit the pause button on the DVR of all our lives. Feels like we’re caught in a still frame and it feels like we’re stuck.
Life is halted for a while. And we had to let go of all that. We had to let go of our very lives and make those sacrifices to keep ourselves and others safe. I see this as a call to let go of my life present it before the Lord. All of us now have to let go and let God do His thing. I keep thinking of the saying: Let go and let God. I don't think there was a time in my life where that simple little phrase was more relevant. This entire situation has forced us to do just that. In the middle of our Lenten observances, we’ve been forced to even let go of our Sunday obligations! Weekly mass! Everything! We just need to put all of those things in God’s hands at the foot of the cross this Holy Week along with pretty much every other aspect of our lives.
Instead of panicking and grasping for small scraps of control over our current situation, I feel challenged to simply let go. Let go in more aspects of our lives than I, myself, had ever planned to. This uncertainty is terrifying. We do not know what is going to happen next, which, in truth, has always been the case, but now it feels like we have absolutely no control over our future. So we have accept that none of that is in our control.
Yes, times are scary right now. But spoiler alert: we know the ending! We wait in the hope and the knowledge that Jesus will rise! That He is coming back to embrace us into a new life. Easter is quickly approaching and even though this isn't how any of us pictured this Easter to be, I choose to see the upcoming holiday as a beautiful reminder of what's to come. Because that's exactly what Easter is all about! It’s a reminder of what we have to look forward to in the next (post pandemic) chapter of our everyday lives, and beyond to the perfect possibility of being in communion with the saints and in the presence of the Lord in all His glory.
I chose to see this time as a waiting period. Similar to the three days of waiting before The Resurrection, or the waiting period before Christmas that we call Advent. Or, if we want to go deeper, the waiting phase known as Purgatory on our journey to Heaven. This is a time of waiting to resume our lives again. Resume going back to mass and receiving communion again, to seeing our friends and family, and to go back to school or to work. We’re waiting for life to be normal again. It's in these times of waiting that we see our Father’s mercy take effect in our lives the most. It’s in these waiting periods that we allow His mercy into our hearts and into our lives.
Though none of us planned this “waiting period,” I see it as a call to strengthen my relationship with God. Isn't that all that He wants from me? A relationship with me? I’m challenging myself to grow in my prayer life. To dance, to sing, to play music, all to strengthen my relationship with Jesus. I’m going to work on strengthening my relationship with my family members and those I love as well. I’m going to use this time to enjoy letting go of the stresses of school and life and be able to be present in the moment. To not be rushed into the next thing. Long story short I’m going to work on myself so that when life starts back up again, I’ll be strengthened, rested, and renewed in my relationship with God. I’ll be ready to live out my faith in a new way.
And when that time comes (hopefully really soon) I won’t take everyday life for granted.
Haley is a freshman at Winslow High School who loves music and the preforming arts. She enjoys camping trips, the beach, and spending time outside. Haley is the oldest of four girls.
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