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I would like to reflect with you in this moment of crisis by making reference to the Unique and important experience of St. Francis in his spiritual journey and conversion. We all know from our Franciscan History that Francis had fear and dislike towards the lepers who were in big numbers during his time in Assisi. One day, however, he met a man afflicted with leprosy while riding his horse near Assisi. Though the sight of the leper filled him with horror and disgust, Francis got off his horse and kissed the leper. Then the leper put out his hand, hoping to receive something. Out of compassion, Francis gave money to the leper. The sight of lepers nauseated him and he would run away before this encounter, but God leading him into the company of those from whom he wanted to run away, he shows pity, care, and love. As he mentions in his Testament, “what had previously nauseated me became the source of spiritual and physical consolation for me.” This experience expanded his ministry to the lepers who were served and cared for by Francis outside the town of Assisi. The entire early brotherhood got engaged in ministering the lepers, feeding them, showing care and love even by kissing their wounds and embracing them.
Like a sudden breaking storm, the coronavirus crisis has caught us all by surprise, abruptly changing on a global level our personal, public, family, and working lives. This dramatic situation highlights the vulnerable nature of our human condition, limited as it is by time and contingency. The pandemic has also forced us to question the roots of our happiness and to rediscover the treasure of our Christian faith. It is a time of trial” which gives us the chance to reorient our lives toward God. The crisis has shown us that, especially in times of need, we depend on our solidarity with others. In a new way, it is inviting us to place our lives at the service of others. It should make us aware of global injustice and wake us up to the cry of the poor and of our gravely diseased planet. The world is suffering from the global COVID19 crisis and how the COVID19 pandemic has created the “new lepers” in our society which has brought about social and economic divisions in society. There is a fear of our family members, neighbors and colleagues who are affected by the Covid-19 and we suddenly become lepers like those of Assisi in the 12th century. We are avoiding them due to infection and many of them die without the family members being close to them. The majority of them are buried or cremated without the presence of any close relatives. The fear of the Covid-19 pandemic will see more deaths from rejection, abandonment, loneliness, and poverty than from the virus itself. Leprosy during the time of Francis created a gap between the rich, middle class, poor, lepers, etc., especially economic, spiritual, and moral. Pandemic has so far seen many coming out to serve and show compassion through their charity in the form of donations and food. The urgent need is to bridge a disproportionate loss of income amongst those living at the peripheries like the lepers of Francis’ time. The immediate need of the lepers in Assisi was love, care, compassion, and service. We too face the same situation where the lack of love, acceptance, food, and safe shelter is on the rise. Those affected by the virus are neglected by the government and all the big projects and allocation of funds for them have not reached, so there is a lack of trust and confidence among the poor affected by Covid-19. Francis and the brothers ignored the Restrictions laid by the commune to visit and serve the lepers in order to treat them as human beings and to protect leper’s health. We see in the nook and corner of our cities and towns that many poor COVID-19 patients are often denied proper treatment and human dignity is at stake. The poor are feeling that they have been forgotten and have no one to raise voice for them. In this kind of situation what is our response as followers and imitators of St. Francis of Assisi?
There are many ways today that we can assist those who in the crisis created by the Pandemic and those whom society and government reject—those who are down mental illness due to the fear of being affected by the virus. In the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi, we can kiss and wash their wounds which are physical, emotional, and spiritual created by the pandemic. We can offer them comfort or compassion. As Christians and Franciscans can we help the affected who have been going through a fear of being neglected and a stranger because they are poor? Can we contribute to the efforts of Governments towards the economic recovery from the pandemic? There are challenges and opportunities presented to the Christians in Maharashtra by the pandemic experience. In this isolation and crisis, many have been reduced to nothing, many young ones are committing suicides, family problems are on the rise, can we offer them the emotional and spiritual support as Francis and the brothers offered to the lepers of Assisi. Can we create a sense of belonging among those affected by the Covid-19? Let us discover that we need each other. Are we prepared to serve with those at the periphery?
The Covid-19 offers us a golden opportunity to have the same dramatic personal experience and orientation in our Churches and families and each individual Christian that brings forth spiritual fruits. But the need of the hour is to show mercy and compassion to those affected and we will experience the mercy of God’s mercy and compassion in our own lives.
Our United response could be: Search for those who need our mutual support and understanding, sharing our resources and give a voice to them in order to overcome this crisis. During and after the Pandemic our services, apostolate, and ministries could be geared up by visits, dialogue, sharing, and offering emotional support to those who have recovered and the families of those victims of the Pandemic. There are many Church based NGO with whom we could collaborate and cooperate by sharing our expertise and not just limit and focus on material needs. The call of God to St Francis, “Go rebuild my House”, is God’s call to us today. By now, no one needs to tell us about the impact of the pandemic we’re experiencing. There are a great number of inconveniences. There is also a lot of fear and confusion. This fear and loneliness could be a worse contagion that we spread unwittingly. In response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, we need to take proactive measures to accommodate people who will have a different experience after the pandemic. We need to determine the most effective use of our friar’s expertise and our limited resources to help fight pandemic affected people. We have to also always remind ourselves of our responsibility to go beyond ordinary ways of looking at the reality of a difficult situation brought to us now. We also need to prepare ourselves and others for a healthy way of living. We have universal responsibility which respects other’s right to live a healthy, dignified, and safe life. Business avarice, ecological degradation, war, and manipulations have torn the world apart. But now the time is ripe for the world leaders to work together, share medical information, support concretely to face the crisis and bring it to an end. As disciples of Jesus and followers of St. Francis. we could respond in the following ways with faith, responsibility, and fraternal goodness:
Praying to the merciful Lord, developing in us and others a positive and proactive mindset, teaching and creating awareness among the people whom we serve that seeking medical help in time is the best to cure, support the governmental schemes in order to arrest the Covid-19, and encourage our doctors, nurses, and health workers.
Pope Francis invites us with these words coming from his heart: “We have to find the concreteness of small things, to have simple attention towards those around us, family, friends. Understand that in small things there is our treasure. There are minimal gestures that sometimes get lost in the anonymity of everyday life, however gestures of tenderness, affection, the compassion that is decisive, and important. For example, a hot plate, a caress, a hug, a phone call are familiar gestures of attention in everyday realities that make life make sense and that there are communion and communication between us. " He said the loss of jobs along with the chance to spend more time with loved ones "suddenly opened our eyes to horizons that we have long since taken for granted", and that the period of lockdown allowed many to rediscover "the importance of simplicity, and of keeping our eyes fixed on the essentials".
He also said that the pandemic "has made us all the more aware of the presence of the poor in our midst and their need for help", and that its sudden arrival sparked "a powerful sense of bewilderment and helplessness" that also demonstrated "our own need for an outstretched hand.”
