Michael Kelly
I asked a friend over the weekend – via a phonecall lest I be accused of flouting rules – if he was planning on giving up “the drink” this Lent as has been his custom for many years. “I think I’ll drink more,” was his joking response.
It is a sentiment that will resonate with many people given the sacrifices that have been made over the last 11 months in the fight against Covid-19. The fact that many of us have had no choice in the sacrifices makes it all the more difficult since there is a piercing sense that we are no longer masters of our own destinies. That is a difficult concept in a world where radical individualism and personal autonomy are often promoted as the ultimate goal.
Covid-19 has provided us with a shuddering reminder that yes, we are our brother’s keeper. Those of us who are (relatively) young and healthy have a responsibility towards the common good to protect those who are vulnerable and could die if they contract the coronavirus.
Duties
This should be no alien concept to Christians as our duties to one another are at the heart of the Christian message. Jesus reminds us in Chapter 25 of St Matthew’s Gospel that we will be judged according to how we treated those who are vulnerable.
I was shocked recently to see a Catholic woman – who is evidently Christian and good-living in so many ways – respond to a theologian who said there is a “moral duty” to get a Covid-19 vaccine say that “my only moral duty is to myself”.
That sentiment is the very antithesis of the Gospel and is everything we work to overcome in our world. Pope Francis might even describe it as part of the “throwaway culture” that he often laments in contemporary society.
The Church is the ‘family of families’ and our duty is to look out for one another. Ultimately, of course, what we want to do is get one another in to Heaven by growing in holiness and good example. But, we have a responsibility as well in our mortal combat against the coronavirus to ensure that we do not act in a way that puts other people in danger. I will get the Covid-19 vaccine when it comes my turn. If it is a vaccine that is tainted by the use of cell-lines from aborted babies, I will make my protest known to the health authorities but I will take my lead from the Church and I will not refuse the vaccine. I will accept the vaccine not because I am frightened that I will get sick and die from Covid-19, I will do so because I am frightened that if this deadly virus continues to spread in the community many more people will die who could’ve lived.
Ethic
We need to be consistent in our pro-life ethic. Any person dying of Covid-19 because people are refusing to get vaccinated is an affront to human dignity. A few years ago when we fought passionately to save the pro-life amendment in our Constitution, we proudly marched under the banner ‘every life matters’. It’s true and we need to embrace that truth. Almost 2,000 years ago Christianity thrived in a pagan culture because people marvelled at how much Christians loved one another. That’s a witness more powerful than any preaching.