Re-aligning the concept of spirituality in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic

 

To the Editor

This is in response to Macaraan’s correspondence¹ in Neal’s thoughts on the collateral damages of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19),² where Macaraan exposes the benefits of the pandemic situation as opportunity to the religio-spiritual wellness and well-being of the human person. But, I will say otherwise. Surely, such ideas on spirituality holds true but in an exemptional manner like in healthcare facilities where the medical practitioners facilitate by way of consoling and listening to patients. There is the guiding presence of a health care minister whereas the experience of this pandemic is different.

The religious sector is also one of the considered ‘collateral damage’ of this COVID-19 pandemic. There are direct negative effects of the closing of churches and the restrictions on religious celebrations because of the pandemic. In fact, they cry foul to the treatment on them.³ The different current report tells otherwise of this claims that the pandemic becomes an ‘opportunity’ in relation to the wellness and well-being by exposing the religio-spiritual concept. Report tells the several concerns in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions like the gamut of Domestic violence,⁴ the proliferation of child pornography⁵ during the pandemic, the drastic concern for mental health,⁶ and the ‘fear’ and ‘anxiety’ it gives to ordinary citizens.⁷ These things do not attest the indicators of spiritual growth. No report tells of the increasing spiritual awareness of people while in community restriction because of COVID-19. Moreover, the call among church leaders to increase the allowable number of church goers still persists until this day. This demonstrates the importance of ‘communal’ practices over an individual practice of one’s faith and spirituality. When people are losing jobs because business establishments are shutting down, we cannot immediately say that they can rely on there on spirituality exercises to cope up with the situation. Spiritualizing is not spirituality. The mystery of the Triune God is the mystery of communion; and the context of every Christian vocation is always in the context of this divine ‘communion’.⁸ The basic idea of a church or religion is to unite a group of people under the same values and principles and to ‘facilitate their collective and individual communication’.⁹ That’s why, the church always reiterates the value of communal services in its eucharistic celebration, when the community gathers, and in its other liturgical celebrations, which emphasizes the value of real communion. While we say, that the personal venture to Spirituality is exemplary, this ‘is decidedly not the same as receiving Christ’s body and blood, following an online Mass is a good thing but it is not participating at Mass’,¹⁰ which is considered to be the highest form of worship for Catholics. The physical presence is needed in order to say that one fully participate in the expressions of faith. Hence, in the Philippines, where for some time people who have been deprived of physical participation in the celebration of the holy eucharist or the Mass, reportedly are disappointed because they were barred from doing so.¹¹

Spirituality is wholistic. It does not attend to spiritual nourishment while neglecting the physical needs. When people are surviving, prayer and faith finds meaning in concrete actions. Faith is alive when it is express in the context of the community, where the congregation flourishes out of concern and love for each other. A person of faith should not be contented with the virtual unity that was necessitated because of COVID-19,11 especially for Catholics, house of worship cannot be replace with a personal worship at home; everyone must bear the responsibility of evangelization.¹²