Ecumenism (and Faith) in a Time of Covid
The year 2020 will for a generation be remembered as the year of Covid-19 – the year of the pandemic. Well, I say that tentatively; we likely should not assume that we will not be living with the pandemic in 2021. But, 2020 will still be the year when our lives were disrupted and when things ground to a halt. Years from now we will be talking about the major shift that happened in mid-March of this year when over the course of a day or two we were rather suddenly house-bound. Some lost their jobs; many more faced the prospect of major loss of the income by which they paid the rent and cared for their basic needs. Seniors with compromised health now face the very real prospect of not only an early death but of the deep sorrow of not having their loved ones with them when they ‘cross over’ to the other side. Institutions that we value – social agencies, colleges and universities, might not survive the pandemic even though they will all they can to adapt to the new reality – that is, the “new normal.” And, of course, faith communities – congregations and parishes – have lost out on the routines that are so vital to their shared life – including but not limited to singing the hymns of the faith together, celebrating the Lord’s Table together and gathering after worship for coffee, together [coffee for most of us; sherry for my Anglican friends].
All of this is compounded by a complicating factor. We live in a time of significant political and social unrest and polarization. Even the pandemic is politicized – with strange debates about the weathering of masks [as though this is a political issue]. Those underlying points of social and cultural tension were always there; it is merely that coronavirus has exacerbated things. When we feel under threat we tend to hunker down – withdraw. We feel vulnerable and threatened and instinctively we are inclined to retreat to what is safe. This is understandable.
But what is more problematic is that if we are not careful, we end up demonizing those that in any way shape or form might be viewed – rightly or wrongly – as a threat. The most insidious form of this is racial or national profiling. But that response or instinct is a symptom of the deeper problem – the root issue: that when we are feeling vulnerable, our propensity is to grasp on to the known, the familiar and the safe. And at one and the same time view exclude those who are not part of our immediate circle, or even worse, to view the other as a threat. When we most need to be pulling together, we are confronted with the forces that would pull us apart. When we most need one another, we see the other as a threat.
At such a time, we so very much need to be intentional in our response. Yes, we need to sustain a healthy level of physical distancing -- but let’s call it that: physical rather than the usual term, social distancing. This distinction might actually lead us to stress that while we are physically two meters apart, we can and must sustain a social or human connection with the other. Even if we are rightly respecting the “space” of the other – giving them the appropriate distance -- we can and must actively make an engagement. We can greet one another in the supermarket aisle, even if we are wearing a mask. We can realize that the mask might well look intimidating and so we make eye contact – not the eyes of fear or anxiety but the eyes of those who are signalling that we are all in this together. With good humour.
But also this: might this be an opportunity to lower some of the points of polarization that so easily tear us apart – political and religious? I wonder if we can have a conversation about how a pandemic is good for the soul of a nation and more, our own individual journeys of faith. There is no avoiding the tragedy – the loss of life. I think in particular of seniors who have died alone without family close at hand and of front line medical workers who contracted the virus and did not survive – essentially giving their lives in service for others. But for those of us who have been spared – either we recovered or did not, providentially, get the virus – how and in what ways might we come through the pandemic with a strong faith?
And how can we come through and out of the pandemic with a more robust Christian presence in our social and cultural contexts – in part because we have resolved that we will not withdraw but instead find ways to keep connected? It begins, of course, within our family systems. And in all the ways we work at sustaining a connection with those who are part of the church or faith communities and congregations of which we are a part. And, of course, with colleagues in our places of work.
But we also need to speak to another avenue of connection – with those of other Christian traditions and communities. Could it be that coming out of the pandemic we are more aware than ever that ecumenism is not merely a matter of theological conviction: it is also a very practical matter. We need one another: our faith is strengthened through mutual encouragement. When we are most inclined to retreat into our own worlds and communities is precisely when we need to affirm and act on the conviction that more than ever we do not and cannot walk this road alone. We need one another. And surely one of the gifts to the church coming through and out of the pandemic is not that when we might so easily have found that we are more isolated than ever, the opposite happened: we found ways and means by which our connections with those of other traditions were actually strengthened.
With that in mind, I offer the following by way of suggestion and encouragement.
First, think about your immediate neighbourhood. It is amazing how we can go through our weekly routines, including our comings and goings from work, with little awareness of our neighbourhoods. If we do not have children of about the same age who form the natural connections up and down the street, we as often as not know so little about our neighbours. Ask: who are my neighbours and how can I be in prayer for them? In what ways can the pandemic actually strengthen the awareness we have of one another. And for those of us who believe that ultimately ecumenism is ultimately and finally local – know about your neighbours and where it is that they would be worshipping if they were able to attend week-end mass or worship services. The pandemic is a wonderful opportunity to move beyond the usual small talk to matters of greater import: even with someone you hardly know, you can ask: “do, how are you managing?” and “do you have a faith community of which you are typically a part?”. And ask them how they are approaching worship with their parish or congregation during this time of Covid-19. And then to also say, “I will keep you and your family in my prayers.” That is, to become more aware of who in your neighbourhood is part of another Christian tradition.
But second, we also need to find ways to be proactive within our towns and cities – that is, to make an ecumenical stretch, even during a time of a pandemic if not especially at this time. And here to speak especially to those who are providing religious leadership to our communities. Perhaps an Evangelical pastor sets up a video call with the priest of the closest Catholic parish: they make a connection to ask how they are each caring for their flocks during the pandemic. And they have three essential commitments. The exchange between the two could have three elements: (1) learning from and with one another about what it means to be the church in a time of pandemic; (2) encouraging one another; and, (3) praying for one another. And both the Catholic priest and the Evangelical pastor let their respective communities know that they are in conversation with one another and praying for one another and for their respective faith communities.
And would it not be tremendous if an Evangelical pastor and a Parish priest did something together – published a video perhaps – that provides an opportunity for both to be a source of encouragement to both communities. So that the congregation of a local Evangelical church sees in a video that there is a comradery between their pastor and this priest and they hear the priest say that his parish is praying for them. The outcome is that ecumenical ties are strengthened in a time of Covid.
Image Credit: Edwin Hooper via Unsplash
