Be Still

Before this pandemic, before news began to spew out coverage after coverage of the viral disease, before it was infamously named COVID-19… how was our normal life before?

It involved a school/work/home routine. It involved hanging out with friends. It involved schoolwork, clubs, sports, studies, and exams. It involved going out to the movies, restaurants, museums, malls, and parks. It involved being out in the world enveloped and surrounded by strangers enjoying and spending their own time out in the world. Whatever it was we were involved with in our lives, is all now limited and even placed on hold.

I ask again, but this time in a spiritual, mental, and emotional sense: How was your normal life before the pandemic? Before being held in self-quarantine and living life at home? How were you doing spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically? Were things going good for you? Were things going bad and chaotic? Did you feel out of touch with the world and with yourself? Have you noticed a change in your life that needed a pause, and a need for correction? Did you have big plans for the coming days, weeks, and months leading up to summer vacation? How was life at home? Your relationship with your guardians? Your siblings? Your relationship with yourself?

I would like to give you all my commentary on what Bishop Barnes said during his sermon this past Sunday. But first, a background on how my life was going before news sprawled out leading me, and countless others, to self-quarantine.

I started out this spring semester strong. I felt on top of my work and finally began to feel dedicated and focused on my work habits. I began to feel that I finally had my time management by my side.

However, two or three weeks later I began to feel off. All of a sudden, I had no motivation, no drive to study, I felt lazy, distracted, and wanted to give up. On top of that, I felt lonely for some reason. I cried a few instances and even teared up in front of a friend as she comforted me by saying how smart I was, that grades do not define me, and that I have a great group of friends to hang and study with.

When the Lenten season began, I did not have a clue on what I wanted to give up or incorporate into my life. To be honest, my one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ has grown distant through the fault of my own. Incorporating daily Rosary or reading the Bible each day seemed too big to do. I needed to start small and take little steps to get there.

With whatever words I did pray to God, I realized I needed to focus on myself. I needed to drop distractions, such as social media, and listen to what is going on in my mind. I realized I was not taking care of myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. I focused too much on my studies and did not let myself wind down and do self-care. I bottled up emotions of frustrations/stress from my parents because either I did not believe they would understand or did not want them to worry about me. I pushed aside my relationship with God I once had where I used to have conversations with Him and read the Bible every night. Above all, I began to gain weight and did not care what I ate. I needed to rebuild myself again.

And then the pandemic began. Schools began to close and turn to online sessions, grocery markets began to fill with people hoarding for food, water, and toilet paper, some jobs had to stop leaving with people without work, and so on.

If any of you tuned in and watched this past Sunday’s mass live streamed, you would perhaps recall the homily Bishop Barnes gave to us. During his preaching he mentioned that faith puts aside fear, blindness, blame, selfishness, and moves towards discipleship. He adds this is a great time to open our eyes and get to know each other in our household; to connect with those who we live with. He further adds to look at each other with heart and to see and to hear each other as a child of God.

But the one part that really caught my attention was when we said that it is time for the youth: teens and young adults, to step up and discuss how things are going in our household. We are called to unite the family. It was as though Bishop Barnes understood what I was dealing with. I’m sure there are some of you, just like me, who wanted to get out and be away from the house. I’m sure there are some of us who were going through stressful situations as though our lives around us felt noisy, busy, and distracting. With the pandemic and us being quarantined, it is as though God is telling all of us to be still.

Here were parents working at their jobs hardly spending time with their child(ren), families ignoring each other doing their own things, and the like. He has been wanting the family to come together and be as one, but there was always something that would hold us back. It had to be something big like the coronavirus to make us all stop what we were routinely doing and go back to our roots at home. In some sense, God had to allow this pandemic to sprawl out in order for us to sit down, stay still, and listen to His words.

He wants our broken families to heal and be restored. He wants each and every individual to focus on themselves, pay attention to the troubles they have been going through, and come to Him for help. He wants you and I to become healthy again, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Now is the time to focus on ourselves and our families, to unite those pains and sufferings to God so that together, you can be transformed. He wants to be with you and have a relationship with you.

If only we would hear His voice…

Here’s the takeaway: our big plans for the summer may not be fulfilled and graduations and looking for jobs have to be paused which is disappointing and heartbreaking to us. What majorly concerns us is the virus taking away thousands of lives as it spreads.

But be not afraid. Here are some verses from the Bible I believe are fitting during this time:

• “In their distress they cried to the Lord, who brought them out of their peril; He hushed the storm to silence, the waves of the sea were stilled.” (Psalms 107: 28-29)

• “The Lord will fight for you; you have only to keep still.” (Exodus 14:14)

• “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

• “Cast all your worries upon Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peters 5:7)

• “My soul be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope. God alone is my rock and salvation, my fortress; I shall not fall.” (Psalms 62: 6-7)

• “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12: 12)

• “I have told you this so that might have peace in Me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” (Mark 16: 33)
  

Therefore, take this time to focus on yourself. Learn about yourself. Build a connection and relationship with God that you feel you did not have time to do before. Even more, rebuild connections with your family within your household. Now is the time for us youth to step up. Use your voice and be heard. Now is the time to let them know you care about them and love them and want things to change for the better for the family.

Come together as one, pray together, and celebrate the life and ever-lasting love our merciful, patient, beloved Lord Jesus Christ truly is. May God be with you all and may He give you strength, encouragement, determination, comfort, hope, and peace during this time and forever. Amen.

What do you think? What do you feel God is asking for you to do during this time? Discuss with each other in the comments!