Page 228 - spiritual_accompaniment_montreal_archdiocese

HOMILIES

Let us ask God to give us not only His Word so that it yields fruits in us, fruits of goodness,
fruits of beauty, fruits of justice, fruits of peace. Let us also ask him to be at work in our soil,
to work on our hearts, to prepare us to receive his Word, which is the Word of Life, the Word
of Salvation.



Among the fears we may have, we find one linked to the COVID-19 virus, as we are confronted
with the pandemic and the fear of the unknown. The unknown always frightens. Sometimes,
we would prefer to imagine to know what is coming, whereas in actual fact, it is impossible to
know what will happen. In this situation, the fear of the unknown can become an experience
of abandonment, a time when we can turn to God. It can then further transform into a time of
collaboration, a time of solidarity, a time of opening up to others. If we consider these things
under the aspect of things to do or to avoid, what is asked of us now is to turn towards God in
prayer. We are called to be in solidarity, to think that we are all in this together and that, by the
grace of God, we will come out of this pandemic stronger than before.

Amongst the things that we should probably avoid in our lives, I want to emphasize one. We
must avoid blame in the situation that we face or with the people who we meet. Blame does
not help to move things forward. Blame does not help us to find solutions. Blame does not
help us to grow in solidarity. Blame does not help us to open up to God, to abandon ourselves
to him. Blame misleads us. Blame is like a veil in front of our eyes which prevents us from
seeing the good, the truth, and the beauty in the heart of every human being.

All human beings have their frailties, but every human being is also created in the image of
God and capable of beauty, truth, goodness, capable of being in community.

Therefore, I ask you not to let yourself be carried away by blame. For instance, do not blame
the Chinese people because COVID supposedly coming from China. This makes no sense.
On this topic, remember that the Spanish flu from long ago did not come from Spain! The
first time we heard of the Spanish flu, we heard of what occurred in Spain. Maybe COVID
comes from China, but it may also have come from elsewhere. What matters now is not to
blame anyone.

It is the nature of the world we live in now, with its frailties and where viruses exist and spread
easily. The question is how we can work together to protect ourselves and prevent the virus
from spreading. In summary, blame should be avoided more than ever.

(cont’d)

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 228