Seasonal Reflection: Ordinary Time, Late Summer - Fall 2020
by Rosemarie Pace
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The liturgical season of Ordinary Time
continues until Advent, but the
extraordinary also continues in this remarkable year of 2020. As of this writing covid-19 continues to plague the country and the planet, and a blast in Beirut, Lebanon is being compared to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Actually both are useful comparisons in that they provide a lesson if we are open to learning it. Covid-19 is global as would a nuclear attack be. It is devastating to people’s health and the economy, but it is nothing compared to a nuclear war, even a “small” one. The explosion in Beirut may leave a portion of the city looking like Hiroshima after the atomic bombing and may have killed thousands and injured more, but it is nothing compared to a nuclear holocaust. The radiation from a nuclear assault will spread across the globe and destroy everything in its path, some things quickly, some slowly, but everything will be affected from the weather to food production, from air and water quality to health. So, like covid-19, a nuclear conflict will cross the globe and sicken and kill, and like the blast in Beirut, it will flatten buildings and maim and rob people of their lives, but it will do both to a far greater extent and for decades or longer, not months or years. This is not to make light of covid-19 or the explosion in Beirut, but it is to say that if we think, as we should, that these two things are horrific, then we better be far more attentive to abolishing nuclear weapons, because what we see from the pandemic and the blast in Beirut will be multiplied exponentially should we continue to be complacent about nuclear weapons. Closer to home and to today, Pax Christi Metro New York (PCMNY) is also going through its own unusual, if not extraordinary, time. For the first time in decades, PCMNY will not have full-time staffing or a full-time office. Our Director of 20 years has retired. PCMNY will now be managed by our Office Coordinator, Elda Luisi, who will be working part-time. This means greater reliance on our dedicated Board, Committees, and Volunteers. With things like a pandemic and deadly explosions, at least partially due to human negligence, we need movements like Pax Christi more than ever. Clearly we are living through a time of change, and change can be very challenging, but it can also be invaluable. Even scripture assures us of that. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, we read, “To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Let us pray that we use this time well for good and not evil, for life and not death.
“New
World Order” by
Elizabeth Clark, S.S.J. (from Prayers for a New World Order, Paulist Press, 1994)
- In response to the pandemic,
consider healthful practices, not just
wearing a mask and keeping physical (not
social) distance, but also
exercising, eating well, and sleeping well.
- In response to the tragedy of Beirut
and other worldwide tragedies,
pray, learn what might be needed from a
reliable charity and contribute,
and find out if there’s a Lebanese community nearby that could use emotionally support.
- In response to nuclear weapons,
learn all you can about their
devastating power, their history and
contemporary status. Books and
articles abound on the topic. One suggestion is Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age by Dan Zak. Learn about the organizations working to abolish nuclear weapons and work with them, including Pax Christi. Urge your Congress people to support the signing and ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
- Recognize that change happens and
can be good. Think about good things
that have come from changes in your
life, even if the changes seemed
frightening at the time. Keep in touch with family and friends for support, diversion, and companionship.
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