Since this pandemic began, we have all heard the phrase “new normal” used over and over again, but the idea never really stuck for me because everything was changing every two weeks. Now, however, despite the increase in COVID-19 cases across the country, I am starting to believe that we are approaching something close to a status quo. We have learned a lot about this disease, about how it works, and about how masks and social distancing can significantly reduce the threat of infection. We have created (and are creating) systems that allow us to celebrate Mass and other sacraments safely. Short of another society-wide lockdown (which I, personally, do not think is possible anymore), we generally know what our parish life is going to look like over the next 6 – 12 months.
So now we begin to adjust to this “new normal,” and as we start to settle in, we start to develop new habits and patterns of life. As I have mentioned before, I hope we do not waste this opportunity. I hope that, with Sunday Mass only available every other week, we begin to explore what it looks like to pray at home as a family. I hope that, with vacations and sports and camps all limited or closed, we can discover the difference between being busy and being enriched or fulfilled.
I also hope that we do not become complacent in our love for others. We may be tempted to fight against this new normal, to push back against regulation, to try to ignore that a pandemic continues to rage. But even if we ourselves feel invulnerable, we have to remember that we live in a society and everything we do can have a direct effect on those around us. We do need to continue to distance, to mask up, to keep our quarantine circles small. We will have far more peace if we embrace this reality, for the sake of our vulnerable neighbors, than if we continue to rail against it in our hearts.
Fr. Moore 