Do you feel like we are all in the same boat?
When news of the quarantine hit, I heard some people say, “Well, at least we’re all in the same boat.” On one level, I get that. But I don’t think that statement is entirely true. I think a much more accurate way to say that would be: We all are dealing with the same storm. But we are NOT in the same boat as we face it. Same storm; but VERY different boats.
For some, the boat with which we ride through this storm is like a yacht; for some a fishing boat; and some feel like they’re going through a series of class-five rapids hanging on for dear life to an overturned canoe. We are NOT in the same boat and we need to say that out loud.
- Some are excited about binge-watching their favorite shows on Netflix, while others are working two jobs AND trying to home school their kids.
- Some don’t think all of this is that big of a deal. Others have already buried loved ones or like my brother priests at Regina Cleri, are fighting for their lives.
- Some are angry; some are bored; some are terrified, and some are trapped inside with someone who is abusive.
- There are folks without work but who still have lots of money in their retirement savings; and others who are worried about having enough food for their family even for this weekend.
- Some are zooming happy hours every day at the very same time that others are watching their child through a pane of glass at the hospital; or waving from the sidewalk to a loved one in a nursing home.
It is a storm like most of us have never seen, and it affects us all. But we are not in the same boat as we face it. How about you? What is the boat like that you are in these days?
Today’s Gospel teaches us about that boat. For the two disciples, the betrayal and death of Jesus were a horrific storm. Doubt, fear, anger, sadness, a loss of hope, a loss of their dreams – all of that were the storm they were experiencing on that road to Emmaus. But in the midst of the storm, Jesus shows up. And the first thing he does? He walks with them. He walks with them and lets them process their reality. “What things?” he asks. It is such a simple question which allows the disciples to go deeper. I received a phone call from a parishioner – and quickly in, I realized it was not just a social call. They were struggling with the death of a friend from the virus. “So, how ARE you?” I asked. That was all it took. And I hope they felt that Jesus was walking with them in the storm of their lives.
Perhaps that is the greatest gift we can give people these days, just to try and be that presence of Christ who meets all of us, no matter the storms we find ourselves in.
But then, Jesus does this second thing. The scriptures say Jesus unfolds for them the plan of God – here is how God has been active, in Jesus, and in THEIR lives and hearts. And in the storm of grief and loss they find themselves in, they listen. They let themselves be coached; they are willing to learn and to see things differently. Which brings us to the second important question: What is God teaching YOU these days? Whatever the boat you’re in, what are you learning? How is he coaching you?
TRUST. There is so much we cannot control. So much that is beyond our knowing at this stage. I think of our second grade students who were to receive our Lord for the first time in the Eucharist today. And I get that it is hard – to have to wait without knowing when. But I need you to trust that it WILL happen. Perhaps let this be your prayer these days: Jesus, I trust in you.
A friend commented – I am now aware of how many people there are for whom life is a daily struggle, and that is even before they have to deal with this virus and quarantine. And I pray both in gratitude for my life and intercession for theirs. And ask God to show me what I can do to help.
A parishioner said the other day said, “Maybe we don’t need everything we thought we needed.” She added, “I think a number of us are again seeing how beautiful simple things can be, that our kids do not need to be enrolled in every possible thing for them to enjoy life.”
What are you learning these days? What is God teaching you? For the sake of our souls, I think we’ve each got to ask that question.
So, back to the beginning. It is quite a storm, isn’t it? This pandemic affects all of us. I don’t know what your boat is like as you face this storm; nor do I know what all is yet to come. But I do know this: Jesus will show up. He will. Maybe even in the quiet of our own hearts. Whether or not we recognize him as Jesus, in whatever disguise he wears, he will show up. And if our hearts are open, I also know this: he will teach us something we need to know. He will.