During my six years in the Philippines I worked in two parishes, St. Peter’s Shrine of Leaders and the Shrine of our Lady of Mercy. Many pilgrims visited these two Shrines where there were six Masses each week day and sixteen Masses on weekends. With over 80% of the Philippine population being Catholic, every Mass was filled with parishioners and pilgrims. People also stood outside the church to attend Mass. There were also daily Masses in the Basic Ecclesial Communities, shopping malls, hospitals and office buildings.
The good thing about being a Catholic is that wherever you go in the world you can pretty well always find a church. There are of course places where there are few churches. Whenever I visit a city, no matter where it might be in the world, the first thing I do is to check out the location of the church and find out the schedule of Masses. I make it a habit to enter the churches I pass by so as to rest with God during my travels. For me, the church has always been the house of God, open for people.
Columban Lay Missionary Noh Hyein Anna - Photo: Noh Hyein Anna
Over the past year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Korean Catholic Church, for the first time in its 236 year history, took the tough decision to cancel public Masses. Up until mid-February last year efforts were made to continue Masses by providing hand sanitizers and wearing masks. However, as of February 19th, followers of the pseudo-religion called Shincheonji were rapidly infected with Covid-19. Shincheonji, which held a massive nationwide gathering in Daegu the previous week, became a hotspot for the virus. To make matters worse, its followers who secretly hide in other religions so as to recruit new believers, did not disclose their movements. Beginning with the Catholic diocese of Daegu, where there was the highest number of Covid-19 victims, public Masses were cancelled across the country and the Korean Catholic Church decided to join the government's "high-intensity social distancing" in order to prevent the rapid spread of Covid19. It was the beginning of a long journey deprived of public Masses until Easter.
Under the challenging circumstances of the pandemic people began to interact in creative ways to overcome not physically attending Mass. Masses were held through broadcasting and live-streamed online. Priests and sisters gave encouragement to parishioners by calling them and sending messages. These kinds of new alternatives give water to the thirsty deers all over the world. In the words of the Pslamist, "As the deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." (Psalm 42:1)
Covid-19 has highlighted various phenomena for humanity, both good and bad, and allowed us to reflect on things that were not easily seen in our lives. Firstly, the whole world had to stop for a while, and so the planet showed how nature, which has been indiscriminately exploited, can be restored. The sky, which had been cloudy with fine dust, became clear, showing its transparent blue colors, and endangered animals and plants began to come out. This has created a space for us to propose alternatives to overcome the "climate crisis" we face.
I want to run to the Philippines where I used to live and be with those who were with me, especially the candle-making mothers in Novaliches. However, not only can I not go there at the moment, there does not appear to be a sharp solution to our present challenges. What I can do is to soothe hearts with a prayer for their safety and wellbeing. So, I will light candles and pray for all of us, trusting that God will protect us until, and even after, we will be able to meet again. Amen.
Secondly, the pandemic has brought about a different aspect, not only in nature, but also in our human relationships. Family members who used to have no time to see one another due to their busy schedules now have time to spend together which can help improve their relationships. For office workers who have to work overtime, working at home provides more flexible hours, providing more time for themselves. In my case, I exchange warm regards with my family, relatives, and friends through a video call and have meetings with people around the world through Zoom, an app for video conferencing. Furthermore, I have been communicating online with those interested in the Columban Lay Missionaries. Also, while seeing how political leaders around the world are handling this crisis with their capabilities and leadership, I realize how much our single vote affects our lives - how precious and valuable it is.
Covid-19 has also highlighted the stark inequality in our world, acutely showing who the real underdogs are in our society. The probability of getting the Coronavirus is equally given to all of us, but it has caused more pain to the socially disadvantaged under the structures of inequality. I have come to realize that a basic income system, in which everyone can live equally with human dignity, and a social safety net for the socially and economically marginalized, such as the disabled, migrants and refugees, etc. should be better established. Even more, most countries were revealed to have defenceless health systems to respond to the pandemic. It beckons us to overhaul the public health care system so that everyone can benefit from medical care, like what Korea is trying to do. We are now hopefully able to attend more to the weakness of humans revealed by the Coronavirus and the inequality inherent around the world, while moving toward a safer world together, a world where we can live together.
After the prolonged and challenging period of Lent, we celebrate at Easter the joy and hope of the resurrection. The globalized crisis is still ongoing. I believe the first thing we can do now is to not allow ourselves to be eaten up by the fear and depression brought on by the Coronavirus – known as ‘Corona Blue’ - but rather keep our social distance which has been kept until now by giving up Mass.
I want to run to the Philippines where I used to live and be with those who were with me, especially the candle-making mothers in Novaliches. However, not only can I not go there at the moment, there does not appear to be a sharp solution to our present challenges. What I can do is to soothe hearts with a prayer for their safety and wellbeing. So, I will light candles and pray for all of us, trusting that God will protect us until, and even after, we will be able to meet again. Amen.
Columban Lay missionary Noh Hyein Anna works in Korea and has previously worked in the Philippines.
