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THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

Thought for the Day # 71 - Tuesday, May 26, 2020

“Human Contact”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
How could deconfinement help us to broaden our sense of brotherhood?
Today, at the beginning of deconfinement, I had to go to the store. At
the entrance of the store, there was a guard who controlled traffic. Usually, I
would have passed right by without paying much attention, going directly to
do my shopping, but we are still in unusual circumstances! So, I said to him,
“How are you? Do you have any instructions to give me?’’ Then the conversa-
tion began. He gave me directions, explained the rules to me, and even guided
me through the new regulations. These included being careful not to touch
things, but to select the items visually and have a precise idea of what we
want. And so finally, this encounter became an opportunity for dialogue and
fellowship. Then we met again after my passage through the store, and we said
goodbye.
When I returned to the street, I crossed paths with people walking, and
everyone respected the two meters of physical distancing. Some had a mask,
others didn’t. So, we bowed our heads. We did not talk; we did not say any-
thing in particular. But, in the city, it is not uncommon that when we cross
paths with people on the street, we look straight ahead and generally we do
not greet strangers.
Let us take advantage of the stages of this gradual re-opening and renew
our fellowship and openness to one another. Acknowledge and recognize
each other’s existence, bowing our heads as our eyes meet because we can go
through this ordeal of deconfinement better if we are together.

Collection of texts by the Most Rev. Christian Lépine 86