Twice in the last week I have noticed myself saying “When this is over”.  The first time was to my parents with whom I communicate every day by a mixture of WhatsApp video calls and messages, emails and telephone calls.  I haven’t been with them in person since the end of August when we had a wonderful week together in a self-catering property in beautiful SW Scotland where they live.  When we drove home at the end of that week, I expected to see them again a month or so later, and certainly around Christmas time.  But the worsening pandemic put paid to that plan, as it did for so many people.  Every time I speak to them, I give thanks to God for the gift of modern technology which allows me to see and hear them, as if they were right beside me in the room.  And this causes me to think how enforced separation must have been even harder for previous generations, in an age which was pre-mobile phones and pre-internet, when all one could do was wait for the next highly-treasured letter.  When this is over, we shall be heading straight up the M6 to take them away on another holiday to spend time together.

The second time I used this phrase, I was talking to a friend who had just moved house.  Again, modern technology has allowed me to see photos of the main rooms and garden, so in a remarkable way, I can picture the delighted homeowner happily settling into new surroundings.  But there is no possibility at the moment of visiting in person.  When this is over, it will be possible to visit others in their houses again, and welcome visitors into our own house: for coffee, for a meal, to stay.  This inability to offer and receive hospitality is a painful experience for us all, especially since hospitality is a major expression of our Christian values and love for each other.  The central act of Eucharist is about breaking bread and drinking wine which takes place together with other people, and recalls the original Last Supper which Jesus shared with his disciples.

“When this is over” must have been a phrase regularly on the lips of our ancestors who lived through previous national and international disasters.  Those who lived through both world wars, who experienced the great depression of the 1920s, who survived Spanish flu in 1918, the Great Plague of London in 1665, the Black Death in 1350, or the Plague of Athens in 430 BC must all have had that same desperate longing for life to return to normality, combined possibly with a sense of disbelief and unfairness that they had to be the generation who underwent those particular trials and tribulations.  But what helped each particular generation to cope was the indomitable human spirit which looks forward to a brighter future. 

We genuinely hope and believe that this time will pass.  If we are people of faith, we believe that God wants us to thrive and flourish, even though we have to pass through darkness and despair to reach the far side.  "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)  When this is over, we will each have our particular wish list of what we would like to do and to enjoy.  And I pray that the gift of human optimism keeps us going through the difficulties and distress of the present time.

Sarah Bourne, Chaplain for the Arts – 10^th February 2021                 sarahbourne@banburystmary.org.uk