1919 – It is a little strange writing a bulletin article for Easter when we are still in the Lentiest Lent any of us
have ever known. I am writing this on the 23rd of March. Who knows what will be happening by the time
this gets read. Three weeks in a time of a pandemic is a long time.
Nevertheless.
“Nevertheless” is one of my favorite words. It doesn’t deny reality. It doesn’t close its eyes to difficulty and
pain and illness and death. It doesn’t live in a fantasy world. Nevertheless! Calls us to look beyond all of
that, to look through it, to look past it. Nevertheless calls us to be courageous and brave and faithful. It recognizes that there are troubles. It recognizes that there is sadness. It recognizes that there are storms. But it
is willing to face those things head on and still offer hope, still offer life. Nevertheless does not ignore Good
Friday, but it exults in Easter even more.
In 1919, the world was ravaged by a similar plague, the H1N1 virus. It was grim. But our society picked
itself up, learned from the mistakes that were made (newspapers said that everything was fine), science developed life-saving vaccines and people of faith pressed on to the future. 2020 will be a similar story.
It will be challenging. It will be daunting. It will call us to muster all of our intelligence, cleverness and devotion.
NEVERTHELESS the dawn will come. Christ is risen.
Father Kevin