Pastor’s Corner 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time
It’s good to know that we as a nation are heading in the right direction regarding our COVID 19 situation. Infections are down, and the number of those vaccinated are up. We can now gather for liturgies in groups of 150 people. All these are great signs of progress.
However, we have been here before. We have had two previous waves, each of which has left us a little more shaken, a little more bruised than the previous one. Our economy is in tatters, partly due to the pandemic, and while we rejoice in this moment we also look with trepidation to the end of the year when the fourth wave of the pandemic is expected to strike.
While we are all exhausted by the COVID protocols we need to continue following them until the danger of infecting others, or being infected by them, is significantly reduced. We continue to practice social distancing; we sanitize our hands often and we wear masks which cover mouth and nose. At this stage of the pandemic, the single most important thing you can do is get vaccinated. This significantly reduces your risk of contracting COVID, it reduces the possibility of you infecting others, and should you get COVID your chances of a severe form are significantly reduced.
Every public health emergency poses serious moral and ethical questions. What may be legitimately demanded of us in the name of the common good? Is my right to bodily integrity i.e. refusing to be vaccinated absolute or are there circumstances where my right has to be balanced against the rights of others to have safe working and worshipping environments?
In a podcast released on the 18th of August, Pope Francis said that getting a Covid jab is an “act of love.” Helping other do the same, he said, is also an act of love. “Love for oneself, love for our families and friends, and love for all peoples. Love is also social and political.”
He went on to say that getting vaccinated is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable.
I usually end my Pastor’s Corner with a “stay safe and stay blessed” but maybe this week I should end with something more in keeping with the message of Pope Francis: “do the right thing.”