Page 186 - spiritual_accompaniment_montreal_archdiocese

HOMILIES

24. Homily - Sunday, June 7, 2020

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity - Year A ((bilingual homily) John 3:16-18

Something unprecedented has come into our lives.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, almost three months ago, something unprecedented
has come into our lives.

In the past, when we heard talk of death, we would be little concerned, as it would usually be
the death of someone else. Even when we know that death can happen at any time, we some-
how figure out a way that we are safe!

With the pandemic, this has changed. The question of death is now no longer limited to the
death of others. Now it is personal, now it is the question of our own death. We no longer
speak only of the death of others, such as the number of people who died of COVID-19 or
from another illness. Talking about COVID-19 makes us consider death in general, but it also
forces us to consider the possibility of our own death.

At all times, death was part of existence and dying was always a possibility to be considered,
but somehow, we could keep it at a distance. Today, however, the reality of COVID-19 makes
it impossible to keep death at a distance. We need to consider the possibility of death in a way
that is more immediate, more felt, more concrete.

Furthermore, during this pandemic, the media talk without ceasing about questions related
to COVID-19. This reminds us daily, in one way or another, that we must confront the possi-
bility of death.

In this context, how are we to behave? When we find ourselves before death, before the
possibility of my own death, now we ask ourselves, what will I become? How do I situate
myself before death, when death is no longer something that I can keep at a distance, but
seems closer, much closer, and more personal? More than ever, we are confronted with the
question of death. And we cannot avoid it.
On one side are people who consider life like a journey. Life begins at a given moment, the
moment of my birth, and it ends in death, and there is nothing more after my death. On the
other side are others, believers, who say that life begins at birth, but it will not end with my
death. These are the options, and we need to make a choice. And making this choice now leads
right away to the question of faith.

(cont’d)

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 186