Notes

Seeking guidance amid COVID-19
billige rolex

This past spring semester, Fr. Joe Mueller, S.J., taught Theology 2210, Great Moments in Christian Theology, an undergraduate course on the most important thinkers of the first five Christian centuries.
On the final exam, Fr. Mueller asked his students in what ways the readings assigned in this course contribute to a message that can guide or encourage people faced with the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are some lightly edited excerpts from what some of his students wrote:
One thing Saint Irenaeus talked about was how through salvation, followers of God can live a deathless existence because once they experience a human death, they will be saved and go to heaven to be with God.
This emphasizes how what we do in this life matters because Jesus saves only those who followed God during their life on earth. In quarantine, the days tend to blend together and can often feel very meaningless, so I think it can be helpful for some people to know that even at a time of stagnation, how they react and use their time is still important.
Saint Augustine talks about how Jesus joined us in his humanity. Through his death, he cleanses us from our sins and makes us into just human beings that share in his divinity.
I think this is a comforting thought because even through something as awful as death, God is able to pull good from it by allowing us to join him in heaven.
This can relate to the pandemic because despite all of the awful things that have happened, there is still some goodness that has come from it, as well. So many stories have emerged in the last few weeks of neighbors and friends finding ways to come together and help each other cope in these times. This has also caused us to express more appreciation for people in the community who keep life going — such as those working in healthcare, food service, and the mail service.
What I found most important is if God sent his only child for our salvation, then I know he is not abandoning us now. I believe the Holy Spirit accompanies all the medical work and scientists looking for a cure.
One thing that [Saint Irenaeus] talked about was how through salvation, followers of God can live a deathless existence because once they experience a human death, they will be saved and go to heaven to be with God….[This] emphasizes how what we do in this life matters because Jesus saves only those who followed God during their life on earth. In quarantine the days tend to blend together and can often feel very meaningless, so I think it can be helpful for some people to know that even at a time of stagnation, how they react and use their time is still important.
[Saint Augustine] talks about how Jesus joined us in his humanity…. Through his death, he cleanses us from our sins and makes us into just human beings that share in his divinity…I think that this is a comforting thought because even through something as awful as death, God is able to pull good from it by allowing us to join him in heaven. This can relate to the COVID 19 pandemic because despite all of the awful things that have happened, there is still some goodness that has come from it, as well. There are so many stories that have emerged in the last few weeks of neighbors and friends finding ways to come together and help each other cope in these times. This has also caused us to express more appreciation for people in the community [who]…keep life going, such as those working in healthcare, food service and the mail service.
What I found most important was that if God sent his only child for our salvation, then I know he is not abandoning us now….I believe the Holy Spirit accompanies all the medical work and scientists looking for a cure.
I think over time a lot of people have lost their faith and fear death more than ever because life is truly amazing, exciting and almost nothing seems out of reach, so no one wants to leave. The only reason people fear death is because they’ve only known life on Earth; they are incapable of knowing what life in Heaven is like, so they automatically fear it.
In Book 4 of The Trinity, Saint Augustine states, “What we seek is not here, but…we must return from this exile to that place with which, had we no connection, we would not be seeking for those things here.
Basically, Augustine is confirming to us what God wants us to know. We must not fear death because we are scared to leave all that we love here on Earth, [since]…if we knew what Heaven was like before our deaths, we would not choose to live life on Earth over life in Heaven.
I just want people who are faced with COVID-19 not to fear death because God does not want us to fear death. He wants us to embrace death just as long as we believe in him and repent for our sins.
[In Origen’s Commentary on John], I found a line that could be helpful to some: “He [Christ the Son of God] becomes the light of men when men, darkened by evil, need the light which shines in the darkness and is not grasped by darkness. He would not have become the light of men if men had not been in darkness.”
This line shows that in times of struggle one can turn to God. It does not mean He will turn everything back to normal right away, but in a time of unknown, God can be a friend when you can’t go and have social interaction. God can be a breath of fresh air in your life if you let Him.
In Sermon 293, Augustine writes, “We are saved through one man, adults, juveniles, old people, young people, little children, babies; it’s through one man that we are saved. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
This truly spoke to me because it ties everyone in together with Jesus Christ. Everyone is allowed their beliefs, and I am not saying everyone needs to believe in Jesus, but the beautiful part of who Jesus was and is, is He knew there would people who would not believe, never believe or not know Him. Yet, He died for them, believers, and everyone else. He died without knowing if people would ever love Him back.
I find reassurance in that and that alone. How could someone love me so much He would be willing to be crucified for me, and without ever really knowing if I would choose to have Him in my life? I cannot fathom it, but the idea of it is heartbreakingly beautiful. We are loved beyond belief, and in times like this, it can be hard to remember. But, even in your loneliest hour, you have God in your corner.
In On the Incarnation, Athanasius writes, “all things that are owe their being to His [the Son of God’s] will and power, and that it is through Him that the Father gives order to creation, by Him that all things are moved, and through Him that they receive their being.”
God chose you. He modeled you into the person you would become and specifically chose every detail about you. I forget this more times than I would like to admit, and whenever I get the reminder that I was specially created like this, it lets me have more appreciation for who I am, what I look like, etc.
God wanted us on this earth for these exact moments that make up our lives. You are supposed to be exactly where you are right now, bound in endless grace and love.
However, I know it can be easy to tear yourself apart and notice every single “wrong” with you. Remember, though, how the people who love you see you. I can tell you one thing, they do not see you for your slightly offset eyes, or too big of a nose. They see you for your personality, the way your eyes light up when talking about something about which you are passionate. They see you for everything you are — not what you look like.
As it goes in Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Embrace who you are during a time of uncertainty and realize how wonderfully you were made. Everything will be okay. Take a deep breath and know you are special.
I think the most important message from authors such as [Saint] Hilary, Apollinaris, [Saint] Gregory of Nazianzus, [Saint] Cyril, [Saint] Irenaeus, Tertullian, and many others, is that which they have said about unity.
Their writings about not only the unity between divinity and humanity, but also about the unity between humans, are more important than ever right now. As difficult a time as this is, it has also been one of the most impressive in terms of people and communities coming together to help and support each other.
I think that is largely what Christianity is about. With that, I think the messages of unity these authors have written contribute hugely to providing guidance and encouragement to those who need it. It is paramount people know they have people who have their back, whether it be their family, their friends, their school, their work — or their faith. The pandemic has made it quite obvious the most important things we have are each other.
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