Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1224129
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 MARCH 2020 NEWS MATTHEW VELLA IT is a hard slog. Self-isolation and quar- antine are unkind to the human body, mind, and for many Maltese Catholics, the soul. For a community where faith, Sunday mass and the role of the Archbishop remain central aspects of public life as well as of general society, the shuttered churches of Malta mark a new era of sorts for the Catholic island. The interrupted routine has robbed worshippers of the social contact and physical interaction at mass, but also with the Eucharist, a rite so central and physical for Catholics. Worship has be- come private. Good Friday, and possibly also Easter, the day in which Catholics emphasise the triumph of hope and life over fear through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, will be celebrated without the traditional pageantry of processions and special masses. Even Muslims will be unable to visit local mosques for Tarawih prayers during Ramadan. These face-to-face encounters and human contact are part and parcel of the Catholic faith, says Sister Veronica Gerada, head of school at St Monica School in Gzira. "The beauty of our Catholic faith lies in the fact that our sacramental life gives human contact its due importance. Because God made himself man, our faith is incarnated in all that is human and be- comes alive in human contact," she says. "That is why as Catholics, in order to nurture our faith, we need the sacraments of confession which is made up of an en- counter with a human being who forgives us in God's name, and communion in which apart from encountering our faith community and being nurtured by their human contact, we also receive – eat, taste – God in the Eucharist. The human concreteness of our Catholic faith values our humanity, our body, our senses, our need for relationships, as human beings." It is this inability to experience this rite, that becomes yet one more challenge for Maltese believers, right at such an impor- tant period as Lent and Easter. Fr George Dalli, formerly a parish chap- lain, wryly notes that it will be surprising for Catholics that this Lent their fast is not only from food, but from going to mass and celebrating the most important feast of the liturgical calendar. "When the People of Israel had their temple destroyed, they thought that they have no place where to meet their God and pray to Him. They thought that God abandoned them. But the prophets said this was not so. The place of God is in our heart. That was a time where they had to find their God more in their heart. And ours today is the same situation. Not able to go to mass means that we pray even more in spirit and truth, as Jesus said to the Samaritan women," Fr George says. "The temple of Jerusalem was secondary. Most important is that we pray, adore and meet God in spirit and truth because God is Spirit." Yet it is clear that the imposition of some form of isolation from schools and workplaces also opens an opportunity for self-reflection, again, during the 40-day Lenten period where Catholics prepare through fasting, prayer and repentance for the Easter Sunday. Sr Veronica says that both the reli- gious and those who have abandoned the faith can find in this period of reflection a new beginning. "It may help us appre- ciate again so many things that we have been taking for granted, mainly, God and our relationship with him, and the great blessing in our Catholic faith, of the sac- ramental life. I think we all need to take up this challenge and take it seriously." Even Fr George thinks the quarantine 'fast' will give the Maltese newfound re- spect for the real meaning of who they are and what they do. "Many times we are too alienated to enjoy our family and friend- ly encounters and relations, to grasp the true meaning of our daily happenings, and above all of our spiritual relation with God. This moment of tension because of the virus, and the calmness of staying home, is giving me the opportunity to respect even more not only what I have, but to appreciate their real value and pur- pose." Dalli says the tense atmosphere of a hunkered-down population may have al- so inspired a will to rediscover the com- mon good. "All the sacrifices we are making during this strange situation, in staying indoors, is being done not only for us personal- ly but also for the common good of all. God is telling me that human existence is very fragile. No one is greater than any- one else. Money cannot save you. Seeing that all material things can collapse, is the time when we have to be wise and grasp the true values." Sr Veronica says Catholics can still make use of modern-day technology to nurture their faith, with daily mass transmitted on television and numerous Gospel re- flections available online. Faith does not need to be practiced alone, either, but as a family. "We should not forget that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, but he is also present where two or three are gathered in his name." Fr George imparts a message of faith to believers. "I know my God and I believe He is going to save us from this… let us all make the right decisions." The coronavirus quarantine could change the role of Catholic ministry and the experience of the faith in community With masses cancelled, how will Maltese Catholics face life? "[Self-isolation] may help us appreciate again so many things that we have been taking for granted, mainly, God and our relationship with him" - Sr Veronica Gerada