John 10
We hear this pandemic has opened unchartered territories. Not only for policymakers and for health care providers but almost all private and public sectors of societies, and furthermore, for all international institutions and organizations, every day is a new day in the sense that they have to make new decisions, which don’t have precedents. Often they find themselves without established guidance or principles.
The Church and we Christians are no exceptions this time. The Church doesn’t have a memory that all her churches closed the door to the public. The sacraments are not so readily accessible to everyone. Then, we see virtual parishes online where they celebrate the Mass over the screens. People have prayer meetings over online apps. Pastors have online catechisms. But there are rarely any principles or guidance for online Catholicism. It’s because we have never been left with this online option only. Where should we look for the principles and guidance for Christian life during and after the pandemic?
“My sheep hear my voice,” Jesus says in today’s gospel. Once again, Jesus calls us to listen to his voice. Of course, we cannot find specific instructions either in the gospel or from any part of the Bible. We need to enter the heart of Jesus. We need to be guided by the Holy Spirit. How? We should open the gospel and listen to Jesus. We should pray before making any decision for the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Am I speaking only about faith-matters here? No. I suggest all Christians should follow the guidance of Christ and his Spirit in all matters. It is now a time for us Christians to rebuild our society with Christian principles. This pandemic is a sign of our times. Our family, culture and society have been on the process of de-Christianisation. We want to re-evangelize ourselves in this new era. This evangelization is not so much about multiplying the number of Christians. But it means that our life and society become obedient to the voice of Christ. In other words, we make decisions according to Christian principles with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
It will be a mistake if we merely want to go back to what we used to. This sign of the pandemic is given us to move forward. If we are looking for certain replacements that make us feel as if we are doing what we used to do, I believe we are misguided. This sign of the pandemic is calling for repentance. This sign of the pandemic is calling us to listen to the Spirit of Christ. This sign of the pandemic is calling for the renewal of our family, culture, society, and world in Christ. But only his sheep will hear his voice and will follow him.
