Bishop William F. Medley lifts the Eucharist during the March 20, 2021 Mass of Ordination to the Diaconate of seminarian, Deacon Martin Ma Na Ling. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

Everyone can probably answer the question as to what was the greatest sacrifice they have experienced in the past year of pandemic.

There have been challenging financial crises and stresses as the economy virtually collapsed and tens of millions sought unemployment benefits. While unemployment levels have now returned to more normative levels, even those who went back to work had often seen debt rise and bills go unpaid. Owners of businesses that were temporarily shuttered saw income cease while expenses remained.

The months-long suspension of schools left administrators, teachers, parents and students scrambling to create new possibilities for remote online learning. Many good things emerged through collaboration and partnership but it may take a generation to assess how quarantines and restrictions have affected learning. I suspect we will discover both good and bad.

One thing is clear however:  human relationships have been altered for everyone.

Some grandparents and extended family have not gathered for months out of genuine concern for the welfare of one another. Precious and formative family experiences have been lost. Certainly these can and are being restored even now – but you don’t get back a fourth birthday party; you don’t get back the wedding of your dreams; you don’t get back the comfort of being with a dying family member or friend; you don’t get back the support and interaction a family feels when they come together in bereavement.

I have heard many speak of the loss of presence at Mass as a critical sacrifice. It is unimaginable that some people who had never missed Mass on Sundays in their lives have now gone a year without being able to be in church. Oh yes, thank goodness for livestreamed Masses. But it’s not the same. And for those who have come back to Mass, the necessary restrictions of distancing, wearing masks, and limiting social interactions with other church-goers has stolen some of the blessings from us.

I think I speak for most priests in acknowledging the void we felt in celebrating Masses privately – an experience intended to be communal. Oh yes, the Mass and the graces it provides are constant and not dependent on how large the assembly might be. But we are human and the very important elements of interpersonal reaction impact our experiences.

Last year, our first forays into livestreaming at St. Stephen Cathedral came during Holy Week. To look out into an empty church where a single camera operator was present to say “And with your spirit” was unsettling. As time went on and we received feedback that people appreciated the livestreamed Masses, there was more meaning in our actions. Sure, we all knew the Mass was valid and proper, but it was radically different from what we were accustomed to and what it ought to be.

Even with reduced occupancy, the ability to again worship in-person makes all the difference in the world for both the priests and the congregation. Though, the protocols have changed our experiences: the Mass is surely not a chat-fest but just think of what it means not having seen a friend’s or neighbor’s smile for a year.

As we celebrate Easter and the Resurrection of the Lord we are reminded of the profound truth of our faith: Our God brings good things out of evil. The crucifixion and death of Jesus was evil, as is the death of any innocent. Yet when Christ was raised from the dead the Good News (the Gospel) of all time was exemplified. Sin and evil and sickness and suffering and death cannot ever be the last word. The triumph of God in Jesus Christ and our salvation will be the last chapter of our lives and of all history.

The pandemic is not over. There are still sacrifices and losses to be experienced and counted. But like a book we might have read time and again or a movie we have watched umpteen times, we know the ending.

Even now perhaps we can look deeply at these last months and begin to name some of the blessings that have come. Maybe families appreciate one another more. Perhaps we can appreciate our financial security – or appreciate how others have helped us through our financial insecurity. I have heard students say they will not complain about going to school again. (That one might not always last!)

In a spirit of faith and trust, might we even now consider some post-pandemic resolutions that affirm our belief in the Resurrection and the promise that God can bring good things out of evil?

Most Reverend William F. Medley
Diocese of Owensboro

Originally printed in the April 2021 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.