Praying Through a Pandemic

What a time we are living in! A global pandemic with a novel virus, of which there is no vaccine, that has put societies around the entire earth into various degrees of lockdown mode. Every human being on the face of the planet has been effected by Covet 19. We have been awakened to the real and ever present uncertainties of our shared tomorrow, and to the inherent interconnectedness and fragility of all of life. 

When I was a chaplain in the Canadian Forces, I heard an old crusty army colonel use a battle field phrase that said “there were no atheists in fox holes.” When our world as we’ve known it has fallen out from under our feet, and death, in its various forms, is lurking, the human spirit will turn to and seek out a Higher Power or God.

We are living in such a time. And the only way to see ourselves through such chaos and uncertainty in a healthy and life giving way, is to pray our way through it. We have to think also. Thinking is important, and we need to be reasonable as we sort out how to survive each day with some sense of moving forward. But thinking and reason are not enough for us to discern our way into tomorrow.

We need to “love” our way into the unknowns of tomorrow. Love is the energy of change in the universe. Love is our deepest and divine identity. Love is what attracts us to each other and connects us in life giving ways. Love is the energy that is drawing us into our new tomorrow. 

In order to “unlock” the energy and power of love, and to have that love inform and direct our thinking, we have to pray. Prayer is the key. We have to learn to pray our way through this season of pandemic and into a new tomorrow. 

There are as many ways to pray as there are people on the planet. In all its myriad of forms, prayer foundationally is about opening and connecting. That is to say, prayer is about opening up the limitations of our thinking minds, and connecting with our deeper and truer selves - our divine selves, our Love selves. 

So whatever it is that opens you up and gets you out of your head and connects you to your larger Self, then go and do it - and do regularly and intentionally. 

It might be sitting down with sacred scriptures and reading and reflecting. It might be in the reading of poetry or gazing on a piece of art. It might be in nature or remembering a loved one. Whatever it is that wakes you up to God, go and do it, and do it regularly and with the intention of connecting with Love. In this shared global pandemic, whatever your religious tradition is or isn’t, together we can pray our way into new and emerging tomorrow.