There is a little phrase in Latin “Festina Lente” which expresses “hurry up, but slowly”. This I think and hope echoes our present situation. Now with a number of people having received the vaccine it is becoming more real, but at the same time because of the amount of people catching and dying from the virus the situation remains very difficult. Even though the number of new incidents remains high, the need to return to normal life, especially for schools and indeed elderly people is becoming critical on account of the mental stress that is involved.
Safety remains a great concern. To safely return to a normal healthier life is also now important. So caution, adhering to wearing masks and social distancing is essential, and to avail of this as an important opportunity to live and learn, and please God, to gain a better quality of life in the future. This is much to be desired for our catholic Christian community. I have heard quite regularly of silver linings in the great dark cloud that is Covid 19. Silver linings may give us opportunities as we return to family and parish life and a good constructive challenge to our future.
I am taking a break this weekend, with Fr Kieran covering Masses for me. We will have plenty of time to recover and especially with the season of Lent approaching we can share and strive to live our faith together with confidence and trust. Then continuing on from last week, the message from Pope Francis, for the next couple of weeks can give us food for thought:-
“Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny’s author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life.
Being happy is not being afraid of our own feelings. It’s to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a “no”. It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified.
It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us”.