Suddenly, Everything Matters.

I must admit I've never paid too much attention to how many seconds I take for hand-washing...to how many times a day I touch my face...to how close I sit or stand next to someone.

All of a sudden,  all that matters,  and could literally mean life or death for someone whose health is delicate or compromised.

As we sequester ourselves in the hope of "flattening the curve"  and helping to stem the tide of COVID-19,   let's be mindful of "what matters".


1.      Many people will not have the "luxury" of sequestering themselves until the siege is over.  They will go to their daily work in clinics, pharmacies,  hospitals,  firehouses,  police cars, sanitation trucks,  and utility companies.  They'll be there to sell us needed supplies,  to tend to electrical and plumbing problems, to staff the offices of "essential services", and so on.   They will risk their own health to be of service to others.  They deserve our gratitude and need our prayers.

2.      As I look at the beauty of this early spring,  I may be bemoaning the climate change  that is probably causing these premature blossoms such as the ones in the picture.    But God uses everything for good (everything, yes)  and this particular year he may be allowing this as a way to assure us of the beauty of his guaranteed presence and the certainty that resurrection always follows.  He's never NOT with us.

3.      Living in a monastery,  we Benedictine Sisters have a built-in routine of common prayer, common meals,  and work that enables us to be of service to one another and to the larger world.   Those routines matter more than ever as a way of living through this worldwide crisis.  You don't have to live in a monastery, however, to create a meaningful routine of life -- however that works for you.  Especially for those who are suddenly homebound because of the necessary restrictions on  activity,  a simple and balanced routine can be a way of keeping a perspective.  I'm personally finding that listening to the news continually is invading my life and blurring my perspective.  So my personal resolution is to choose periodic times to catch up on the news, and then to move on to the day's next task or activity.  This crisis is part of our lives,  but it doesn't have to own us.  

4.      The Rule of St Benedict, under which my Sisters and I live,  instructs the monastics that the pots and pans and utensils of the monastery should be handled with the same reverence as the vessels of the altar.   All of us, monastic or otherwise, are being called to handle things and people (including ourselves)  with a new and careful reverence -- whether it's that 20-second handwashing,  those six feet of social distancing,  or whatever.  Our lives are touching in new ways because we all face a common problem and we are truly in it together and responsible for one another in ways that we never expected.

Suddenly, everything matters... but then it always did.