Fear Not: Love Much

Of course you already know what I'm writing about.  As COVID-19 spreads, everyone is scrambling - not to stop it, but to slow it down enough for the health care system to avoid collapse.  I have one friend with the virus and another in quarantine, and each day it creeps closer to home.  Dario, one of our Companions, has friends and family in Italy.  He's watching with horror as doctors have to make terrible decisions in the wake of insufficient ventilators.

Last night we had our weekly Companions call, and we talked about what the tradition has to say about our situation.  I mentioned a conversation with a friend who believes that being afraid is unfaithful.  She cited "perfect love casts out fear."  I could cite the many times angels say, "Be not afraid."  But this is a distortion.  I believe they say that precisely because fear is normal and often appropriate.  It takes a leap to go forward, but it's not so much erasing fear as going ahead in spite of it.

Love is our most powerful tool (if we can call it a tool) for doing that, but being afraid does not, I believe, mean that my love is lacking.  The question is, what is love calling me to in the midst of the fear?

Other Companions cited the Biblical command to love one another, to care for the sick and the outcast.  They are looking for ways to contribute to others.  We talked about stranded students, isolated elderly, those who rely on food pantries that are closing.  I'm encouraged to hear about the many ways people are creating to take care of one another.  Dario is contributing by his research into viral sequencing (have I got that right, Dario?).

So today, after doing a massive grocery run, I'm pondering how I can contribute.  I am not sure yet where I can put my physical self to make a difference, but I know I can try to be a calm and loving presence.  In the grocery store I kept telling people, "we are going to be alright."  Yes, most of us are likely to get this thing, and for most of us it will be like any unpleasant virus.  We need to take extraordinary measures for the sake of those who are at high risk.

I'd love to hear what you are doing to love others in this time of fear.  Are you helping by showing up, or by staying away?  Are you donating to organizations that can do what you cannot?  Are you calling shut-ins?

And what do you need?  Do you need some contact with others?  I can do that.  Email me.
Perhaps you'll find that your greatest need is in fact to help someone else, to overcome the sense of helplessness.

Breathe.  God is here, in the midst of it all.  Love much.