“When evening had come” (Mk 4:35). The Gospel passage we have just heard begins like this. For weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void, that stops everything as it passes by; we feel it in the air, we notice in people’s gestures, their glances give them away. We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing” (v. 38), so we too have realized that we cannot go on thinking of ourselves, but only together can we do this.

En este momento cuando necesitamos asegurarnos de que todo estará bien, aún nos encontramos dudando si las promesas que se hicieron serán ciertas. Estamos abrumados por tantos datos estadísticos sobre lo que puede ser. Muchos de los cuales nunca son alentadores. Miramos con temor los grandes números ante nuestros ojos. Nos preguntamos si aún podemos ver la luz de otro día.

In this moment when we need assurance that everything will be just fine, we still find ourselves dwelling in doubt whether the promises that were made will be true. We are overwhelmed by so many statistical data about what can be. Many of which are never encouraging. We look with dread at the great numbers before our eyes. We wonder whether we can still see the light of another day. 

I was looking at my Facebook account and I was trying to see what are the different postings and messages that people are putting into their account. I found some amusing and downright funny posting. I was appalled by some who intentionally or unintentionally added to the confusion by sending out messages that are fake news and at times insensitive to the gravity of the situation. At the same time I found messages that appears prophetic by quoting from the book of the Prophets in the Bible and condemns the present generation for their sins and points out that COVID-19 is God’s punishment for the sins of the people. 

Today is the solemnity of St. Joseph, the husband of Mary. We take a time off from the regular reading for Lent and listen to the readings proper to the celebration. Hoy es la solemnidad de San José, el esposo de María.