In this 1995 Papal Address, ‘Beyond Fear: The Civilization of Love,’ Saint Pope John Paul II shared with the United Nations General Assembly: “Whatever diminishes man — whatever shortens the horizon of man’s aspiration to goodness — harms the cause of freedom. In order to recover our hope and our trust at the end of this century of sorrows, we must regain sight of that transcendent horizon of possibility to which the soul of man aspires.”
Especially now, against the backdrop of our present and future, chaotic and uncertain corona realities, we must make the fundamental choice: to be good, bad, or ugly? The choice we make defines who we are as a people, a nation, and a global community (*Page 121; Kindle location 2379). In ‘Our Finest Hour,’ Javier Solana reminds us, “uncertainty about what the post-pandemic world will look like is rife, but we do know it will be built upon the words and deeds we choose now.”
Solana continues: “This is no time for scapegoating or succumbing to panic and liberating our worst instincts. The ongoing crisis will be resolved only through rationality, compassion, and mutual understanding, both within and beyond our borders.
All avenues of international scientific and technological cooperation must be explored, and always in a spirit of solidarity, which today, more than ever, overlaps fully with our own interests. The key to overcoming the current crisis is to ensure that the global spread of best practices outpaces the global spread of the virus.”
As a Christian, I again quote John Paul II, “my hope and trust are centered on Jesus Christ … Jesus Christ is for us God made man and made a part of the history of humanity … Love of Christ does not distract us from interest in others, but rather invites us to responsibility for them, to the exclusion of no one and indeed, if anything, with a special concern for the weakest and the suffering.”
Before it gets better, it will get worse. Then comes reconstruction; so much to build and rebuild. “We do know it will be built upon the words and deeds we choose now.” What a yeasty time ahead.
*‘Christian Zionism … Enraptured Around a Golden Calf’ (2nd Edition)
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