Quite the opposite

Fr. Livio Tonello, director

Our elders thought they had seen it all: war, hunger, Asian flu, terrorism... the last thing they need is the pandemic, which has been fatal for many. How do we face the future now that the present looms with an unprecedented way of life? We have always insisted on closeness, fraternity, the courtesy of a handshake. We care about close relationships and the emotional effect of large gatherings; about the value of participating in Mass because the one on television is not “valid”, of not being lost among the pews of half-empty churches. We insist on taking off the masks of hypocrisy, to have the courage to dirty our hands in the service, to visit the elderly... A thousand social customs that we consider as values. But now everything has changed. Now it’s quite the opposite. We must keep our distance and wear the mask; the entrance to the church is limited and we have to keep our distance; we must avoid hugs, the exchange of the sign of peace, meetings, and visits to relatives... The same gestures that were previously valued are now forbidden in the name of attention to the others. A perceptual and value shift that reflects…