By Francis Gonsalves
Pune, April 5, 2020: Call it closedown or lockdown or what you will, but this global lockdown is certainly not a shutdown for proclaiming Christ. Rather, I believe that—just as the religious spirit swelled post 9/11 in the USA—COVID-19 is likely to see a surge in spiritual and religious activity by end-2020.
Evangelist John writes, “The Spirit blows where it wills” (Jn 3:8). While human crowns crumble and microbial coronas—Latin, meaning, crowns—press a crown of thorns upon our swollen heads, worldwide, can God’s Spirit be quarantined? Certainly not! Indeed, while church-doors remain shut, the Church of Christ founded upon Peter, the Rock, and Spirit-steered by his successor, Francis, continues to courageously proclaim Christ to urbi et orbi: church and world.
March 27, seeing an aging Pope Francis trudging up the steps of San Pietro was heartrending. Yet, heartwarming were his words: “It is the life in the Spirit that can redeem, value and demonstrate how our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary, often forgotten, people: doctors, nurses, supermarket employees, cleaners, caregivers, providers of transport, law and order forces, volunteers, priests and many others who have understood that no one reaches salvation by oneself.”
Pope Francis’ words inspired me to make meaning of what’s happening, goaded of course by WhatsApp, which nowadays indiscriminately serves out more bytes than one can bite, leave alone digest.
Nonetheless, true to the saying: “When all doors are closed, God opens out windows,” computer Windows are not only doling out clips, pics, jokes, surveys, Tik-Toks and COVID-19 do’s and don’ts but also refreshing doses of religion, spirituality and Masses online.
Disappointed at having to cancel an already-announced Lenten Recollection at St. Xavier’s Church, Pune, where I regularly preside over Mass, and unable to animate Holy Week services I’d accepted, I felt that I must do something, albeit small. The repeated “Why don’t you post stuff online?” requests from friends, students and parishioners got me recording ‘Holy Week Homilies for the Homebound’, i.e., eight homilies spanning Passion Sunday to Easter Sunday.
Holy Week Homebound Homilies dwell on the following subthemes: (i) Palms [open hands] Sunday; (ii) Bethany Monday; (iii) Chrism Tuesday; (iv) Discipleship Wednesday; (v) Host at Table Thursday; (vi) Suffering and Forgiving Friday; (vii) Silent Saturday; (viii) Easter Sunday—Turning the World Upside Down. I have also felt the need to promote music and singing among the faithful, especially the youth. Hence, dusty and rusty though my violin and guitar strings are, I have ventured to add some music to the homilies, which the viewers can sing during the day.
Creative cyberspace evangelizing, I believe, is the need of the hour. Masses on rooftops, telephonic confessions, priests walking along alleys blessing the sick with the monstrance, online missions by Redemptorists, lifeline retreats by religious congregations, Masses online by bishops and priests are needed. Of course, to be politically correct, one must bang ‘thalis,’ do ‘bhangra’ dancing on terraces and light candles. I think that filling empty ‘thalis’ of slum-dwellers and enlightening illiterate Indian minds are better options.
Computers and technology might not be everyone’s forte; for instance, I am ‘technologically challenged’. But, there is a great option: networking and collaborating. Two of my deacon-students—Roshan Pinto, SJ and PS Prabin, RCJ—generously chipped in to make the homilies sound. One plus point about homebound online homilies that is not possible on regular Sundays: one can delete, snooze, snore or switch off. Be that as it may, let’s come up with creative ways to build church, nation and world.
Pope Francis exhorts us to “Go forth!” (G-4) …. The Good News of tomorrow might be greatly facilitated by G-5 technology. Praise God!
The link has a number of homilies, each about 14-19 minutes in length with hymns and reading.
[Jesuit Father Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, (pontifical institute of philosophy and religion based in Pune, India). He is also a columnist for Asian Age, English daily).