Learning from the Past (Part 1 of 3)
The end of this month will mark five years since churches in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee reopened in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Every single one of our lives was affected in some way during that time, and so I acknowledge the following: I’m not all-knowing and don’t have hard answers to the correct course of action. But I have the conviction that we should shine a light on the past or we’ll never learn from it. With that in mind, I’ll start by exploring what lesson we can learn about human nature from the pandemic.
One trait we share with all creatures is the desire for self-preservation. This striving for our personal flourishing and wellbeing is built into us by God so that we, along with other species, continue to live and reproduce on the earth. To this extent, taking prudent care of ourselves and not being reckless or endangering ourselves is common sense and even praiseworthy. Yet for every virtue in the middle there are extremes, and I observed many people during the pandemic so focused on their own wellbeing that they treated their neighbor not as a person to be loved but as a vector for disease. This tendency, when fueled by fear and panic, caused many of us to isolate ourselves away from others rather than finding creative and prudent ways to care for one another. For sure, there were many who acted as Good Samaritans and brought prescriptions to their shut-in neighbors, who smiled through their masks in grocery aisles, who made time for the lonely people in their lives. But all of us can acknowledge the ways we fell short in this regard. I certainly failed to break out of my small bubble to care for those who needed my love and attention.
A beautiful example for our Church’s past illustrates the way in which this balance between charity and prudence can be struck. In the summer of 1576, a plague broke out in the northern district of Milan. St. Charles Borremo, the Archbishop, reacted quickly to care for his people. I’ll tell more about how the Church in Milan reacted more generally in future columns, but the Archbishop’s personal example shined through this moment in history. He put his affairs in order, shaved his beard as a sign of penance, and began ministering to the sick. While he did so, he never neglected to observe a strict regimen of sanitation and social distancing to ensure that others were not infected by him. He encouraged his priests to be courageous in caring for the spiritual needs of their people, but he warned them not to neglect medical preventatives and remedies to stave off infection. Combining strenuous service and unceasing prayer, St. Charles Borremeo embodied the prudent charity each of us are called to when the next wave of sickness befalls us. May he prepare our hearts to be Christ-like servants in season and out of season!