Bairbre Cahill
Why is the food better during a lockdown?” my son asked. Unsure what sort of a back-handed compliment this was I simply replied, “It is not that the food is better, it is just that it’s the highlight of the day now!” And it is certainly true that food has taken on a new significance. My shopping bills have definitely taken on a new significance with our empty nest full again and the fridge emptying faster than I can fill it.
Meals put a shape and structure on the day. A special dish, a family favourite, a new recipe – such small things matter. We have remembered the importance of sitting down together and have recognised how blessed we are that we can put good food on the table.
What else do we find ourselves remembering in these strange times? The joy of birdsong – so often we have been too busy rushing from here to there to even notice. Now the garden and the small wood beyond seem to reverberate with the songs of a multitude of birds. The excitement of seeing new shoots break through seems to carry a particular significance this year. Perhaps it is that sense of hope and new life, the promise of raspberries on canes, strawberries and blackcurrants, lettuce with that wonderful smell of earthy goodness, potatoes dug from the earth of our own garden. New growth confirms the health and vitality of nature, its unstoppable force.
We remember with an aching heart, the gift of friendship. We may have a hundred friends or more on Facebook – and it is good to connect with them – but nothing beats sitting down over a cup of coffee to talk. It is the being present to each other, the energy that is created just by being together, the love that is felt. These days remind us that we are, above all, called into relationship. That is the essence of our humanity just as it is the essence of God who is Trinity. It is in and through relationship that we become more fully ourselves.
In these strange days there is a conversation with the butcher about the state of the country – him behind a perspex screen, me with my mask on, separated and yet needing to connect with each other, feeling better for the quick chat. There is the friendly word for people we pass when out walking, the sense of being in this together, the frequent benedictions of the good weather.
We have been reminded where true value lies when we see the work of those on the front line, the volunteers, the community organisations. There is a real sense that we have been reminded who we are. Our ultimate value lies in our humanity.
In the midst of this there is the sadness and heartbreak of realising how many people have died. While we try not to be overwhelmed by statistics and projections it is vital that we remember the human tragedy of every life lost, the families and friends in mourning, the grief complicated by social distancing. Our greatest act of solidarity and respect to these families is to do everything in our power to slow and stop this virus. Such solidarity is at the heart of relationship, of community, of what it is to be a Christian.
And it is that solidarity which reminds us that this is not just about our community or even our country. Think of a country like Somalia with only fifteen ICU beds for the whole population. Think of over 70 million displaced people in refugee camps around the world who are at increased risk of Covid19. Think of people at significant risk in the Direct Provision settings and homeless shelters within our own country.
This pandemic reminds us that we are one body, one humanity. Discomfort at inequality can and should motivate us to action and to that genuine solidarity which is at the heart of relationship, of community and of what it is to be a Christian.