Pandemic: St Teresa of Avila speaks.

Pandemic: St Teresa of Avila speaks.

A virus, airborne, spreading fear,

fatigue, death and despair,

between people on the planet,

accompanied by flashing blue lights, sirens screeching,

mimicking ordinary peoples desperate, anxious, often worried cries.

These past months were like no other,

a scramble to unscramble the mysteries of powerlessness

while celebrating the ingenuity of the human spirt,

exploring the valuable essence of the echo of faith,

that by life’s worries becomes buried deeply,  

yet despite the carnage, often resurfaces,

reminding each soul that God’s love remains,

proclaiming boldly that the reality of hope never dies.

We scrambled to unscramble the fog

that descended upon the brain,

confusion had its destructive way,

convincing that monsters were real

that life would never be the same.

Many found consolation in silence, in prayer,

in realising that despite the ensuing chaos,

the challenge, the inability to make things better quickly,

God’s presence was still there, for he never went away,

humanity once more slowly whispered his majestic name.

This year, the rain fell,

the ground become soaked,

then the sun came out

drying the wet, scorching the surface

the seasons remained, on a planet slowly warming,

spinning on its ancient axis, a continuation of trusting,

a homage to the glory of nature,

to our desire to give of ourselves,

to be an example of a person fully alive, ready to nurture.

St Teresa of Avila so wisely intoned, saying,

“Let nothing disturb you”

These words boomed out

in the midst of the uncertainty,

of isolation, of separation, of fear,

“Let nothing frighten you, all things change,

except the perfection of God!”

Her saintly advice continued so sweetly,

“Life passes so naturally”

In the midst of trial, in the beauty of a perfect day,

during the darkness of a lonely night,

when the silvery moon shines out, granting light,

as the wildlife howls in the unseen distance,

“God alone suffices.

For whoever has God lacks nothing!”

In life, in death, in grief, in joy,  

a trusting hand tightens its grip

around the Father’s welcoming hand,

the clay returns to the potter,

finding this embrace, to be a wonderful fit

an expression of an eternal truth,

that speaks with St Teresa of our lasting bright future.

Fr Patrick Brennan © 2021