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THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Thought for the Day # 19 – Friday April 3, 2020

“Inner Freedom”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Inner freedom.

A few years ago, when I was pastor of a parish, a homeless person knocked at
the door. From then on, he would return every month to visit and we would
chat for a few minutes. At one point, he told me how difficult it was for him
to enter the institutions that welcome the homeless, such as La Maison
du Père or others, because I would frequently encourage him to get help from
these services. He would tell me that it was difficult for him because, there
were so many rules in these homes that he had the impression that his
freedom would be curtailed.

These days, I have been thinking about him, as we are faced with the pandemic,
and we find ourselves with many new rules to follow in our society. The rule of
physical distancing, now called social distancing, and the rules which restrict
travel. We could see these as a burden, and to some extent, they are. But at the
same time, it is also as if an interior freedom is still there, there in the attitude
that I choose to adopt towards these rules.
It is true that there is an external constraint which is the result of the disease
itself, of the threat of the pandemic. At the same time, what is my attitude,
what is the attitude that I can choose and that will help me get through all this?
Somehow, the attitude, the deepest motivation of the human heart, is love. I
must connect this to love.

We can follow the measures of physical distancing in order to prevent conta-
gion, but we can do this out of love for others, out of respect for others and
for ourselves. We can adopt this attitude where we give affection to our daily
actions, when we to follow these measures themselves, take them and live
them, not only as a burden that is imposed upon us by the pandemic and the
social measures, but also as a choice. Truly a choice of respect, a choice of ap-
preciation for others.

And of course, entrusting to God this whole ordeal that we’re going through,
now on the eve of Holy Week, let us entrust to Jesus Christ crucified all this
suffering, so that our hearts do not stop growing in the respect and love of
others.

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 30