Antes de la llegada de la pandemia de COVID-19, asumí que Estados Unidos manejaría tal escenario de manera más efectiva que cualquier otra nación. Fui ingenuo. En contraste con las amonestaciones de Jesús en la Parábola del Buen Samaritano (Lucas 10: 25-37), no hemos amado a nuestro prójimo. No nos hemos ocupado de los enfermos. Hemos rechazado a aquellas personas que son diferentes a nosotros. En lugar de detenernos para ayudar a las personas necesitadas, hemos seguido pasando por el otro lado de la carretera. Nos negamos a implementar sistemáticamente el uso de máscaras y el distanciamiento social a nivel nacional. El individualismo que nos define se ha vuelto excesivo. A las personas que cuestionan esta falta de preocupación por el prójimo se les llama despectivamente "socialistas" o "corazones sangrantes" o "copos de nieve liberales". Estados Unidos es complicado y nuestras contradicciones se han manifestado plenamente en el mundo.
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Cuando reflexiono sobre los últimos doce meses, pregunto: "¿Qué pasó? ¿Qué es diferente? ¿Qué ha cambiado? " No puedo evitar comenzar con la persona que me mira en el espejo cada mañana. He cambiado. Soy realmente mayor. Aprendí una palabra nueva: akedia. Descrita por primera vez por el monje del desierto del siglo IV John Cassian como "letargo o apatía", en el siglo quinto, akediase había convertido en "pereza", reduciendo los ocho pecados capitales a siete y, bajo el gobierno benedictino, sujeta a castigo. ¡Dios mío! Me ha resultado difícil escribir, mi pensamiento a menudo confuso, las emociones con demasiada frecuencia desenfrenadas con aparentemente pocos recursos para restringirlas, para aprovecharlas para algún bien. Hay tanto de qué enfadarse, de qué lamentarse. Eventualmente, a medida que avanzaba la pandemia con todos sus horrores, los artículos y podcasts comenzaron a presionarme: el libro de Kathleen Norris de 2008, Acedia and Me; un podcast con Peter Toohey, profesor de clásicos en la Universidad de Calgary.
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The COVID-19 virus has presented us with a challenge and awakened us to our purpose as Christians in becoming uncomfortable in our security and passivity and turning our beliefs into concrete actions. Therefore, as Fundación SEPAZ, we wanted to take on the challenge of being part of the solution to inaction displayed by some social and ecclesial sectors; assuming that the response to the pandemic will only be successful if we face it in a cooperative, supportive and empathetic way with the populations most affected. This includes the Venezuelan migrant population, who are stigmatized for being considered possible "carriers of the virus", which has led to unnecessary complications in their lives.
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“Brian, you gotta get stoned!” I looked into Monica’s eyes as I tried to stifle the laugh that was catapulting from my gut. The blank look on my face was coupled with my inability to respond. This paralysis was immediately noticed prompting Monica’s response. “You’re a person of faith, aren’t you?” I nodded. “You’ve read the stories, right?” Again, I nodded. “You know the story of Stephen. Stephen lived in a deep truth, and it stood in the face of power. It made those in charge nervous and angry. Stephen shook things up so much that they threw rocks at him, but his truth and faith were so fortified all he could do was see the kingdom on earth. So, Brian, you and I gotta go be like Stephen and get stoned!”
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The arrival of COVID-19 in La Guajira was a matter of time. It did so on March 25, the date on which the National Institute of Health made the first report of a positive case. In addition to the alarm generated by the spread of the disease in the Colombian territory, there was the fear of its arrival in one of the least prepared areas to face it and where one of the most vulnerable populations in the country lives: the Wayuú.
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The spread of COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated an already critical reality for many Indigenous peoples: a situation of deep inequalities and discrimination, a condition of systemic vulnerability aggravated not only by the presence of the virus, but also by conflicts and associated violence to scarcity and extreme need for resources, especially drinking water and food.
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“Normal” is not our destination. This virus has irrevocably severed our future from our past. And what arrives is up to us.
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BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz staff member Rubén David Bonilla Ramos interviews Rev. Gail Hill, president of the BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz Board of Directors, about how church life has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Gail is pastor of Chico First Baptist Church in Chico, CA.
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Although our building is closed, the church as a helping people is still wide open. In this time, people are hungry and they are scared that they cannot feed their kids. Faith communities and faithful people have an opportunity to respond. And so, a local restaurant owner and an Imam have come together to “saddle up” and make sure everyone eats. My brother-friend, Imam Azhar Subedar, of the Islamic Association of Collin County Plano Masjid and Ram Mehta, the owner of In-Fretta Pizza and Pasta in Plano, saw the hunger in our communities and it scared them. Those on the edge of poverty are having to choose between paying rent or putting dinner on the table. These two friends, a Sikh and a Muslim, had the courage to remedy one of those choices. They decided that everyone eats. They decided to begin distributing thousands of free meals to anyone who needed it.
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As is often the case in a crisis, this coronavirus pandemic has revealed the true character of many people. Although there are many negative and discouraging stories, there are also countless inspiring stories that have emerged in the past few weeks of people doing what they can to help others, including neighbors and friends, as well as complete strangers. One of those inspiring stories occurred in the city where I live: Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
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Hagar at the desert, Jacob fights an enemy, Rahab faces spies, David prays for his son, Job’s illness, Saul’s zealotry against Christians, Jesus’ cross. In the face of the unexpected anything can happen.
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In Comitán you do not have to ask for fresh products to be delivered to your home. From time immemorial, "the basket makers" have come to your house offering you products (fruits, vegetables, flowers, seeds, legumes, sweet herbs), which they themselves cut or collect, hours before, in their orchards and cornfields. In times of the pandemic, the basket makers have had some difficulties because the departure times of public transport are further spaced and the number of passengers has been restricted in order to guarantee, as far as possible, a healthy distance. Some communities initially took very strict measures regarding people going in and out, but being unable to make it economically, they have to be lax about mobility bans.
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Amid constant bad news and terrifying figures from the Covid-19 pandemic, reasonably hopeful experiences emerge, where community organizing and food autonomy, amid deprivation and distance, keep away the spread of the virus. This is the case of the Nahua, Otomi and Tenek communities in the northern mountain range (Sierra) of Veracruz and the Huasteca, in an area where the states of Hidalgo and Puebla also meet.
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Only available in Spanish.
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As the COVID-19 outbreak spreads throughout the world, governments of different countries have adopted measures of confinement and suspension of activities to prevent its spread. This has given us a look into nature long hidden by smoke and pollution. However, international experts and environmentalists have warned that this "respite" to the planet is only temporary. John Sauven, CEO of Greenpeace UK, stated that no health crisis or economic downturn or other type of disaster will give us a safer and more environmentally friendly world.
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The following walking meditation is divided into sections correlated with each of the senses and punctuated by prayer. The pace and distance of the walk is negotiable. You may want to print out the reflection or have it to reference on your Smart Phone. Allow your walk, if you can, to be spontaneous and unfold at its own pace.
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In Spanish only.
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Christians have relied so frequently on the words “save” and “saved” that we regard God as a great rescuer who pulls us back from the abyss, the lifeguard who grabs us when the waves are too threatening. We feel sad, rejected and angry when bad stuff happens, especially widespread and long-lasting bad stuff like the corona virus, and we blame God for allowing it to go on. I believe that it is time – indeed, it is long past time – to give up this view of God.
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Growing up, there was a short phrase that almost always drew my mother’s rebuke: “I can’t!” Looking back, I imagine it frustrated her because she knew that, in most cases, it just wasn’t true. She knew that most of these tasks I was giving up on before I even began could actually be accomplished with a little focus and some practice. And she was right. That’s been my big discovery in the US federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic--we actually CAN! We CAN find trillions of dollars. We CAN take drastic, culture-shifting measures. We CAN give people access to health care, and eliminate copays. We CAN suspend interest on student loan payments. We actually can!
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Grief is an inexplicable phenomenon in a life that is filled with loss. The simple demise of a friendship, a loved one, or a significant token is so difficult to understand that we wrap the phenomenon in metaphor and say, “We lost our Sadie,” or “Our brother has passed.” These phrases are rightfully employed because such loss leaves us with a body devoid of the human spirit. The joy, pain, exhilaration, depression, excitement, boredom, fulfillment, tragedy, and love that makes our spirits dance and writhe through this world simply vanishes. In its place, there is nothing but void. This makes me think that maybe, just maybe, it is not death that upsets us and hangs around heavily on our shoulders in figurative language, but the true fear is not living.
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