22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time: Finding God in the Midst of the Pandemic

In the midst of the pandemic, several religious memes have been circulating around social media which raises some serious concerns. For example, “Why worry about delta when you have the Alpha and Omega.” Delta, as most of us have heard by now, is the more contagious and virulent variant of the covid 19 virus. Alpha and Omega is the Greek words referred to Jesus in Revelations 22:13, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Thus, this meme encourages us not to be afraid of the much dreaded delta variant if we have a firm belief in Jesus.

Another religious meme circulating around social media, especially promoted by anti-vaccine Christian fundamentalists, is “Jesus is my vaccine”. There is no need to get the vaccine as we have Jesus in us who will protect us from the virus.

While we should not lose belief and trust in the power and guidance of God in the midst of the pandemic, nevertheless, these memes promote a dangerous religious belief in the midst of the pandemic. These memes promotes a separation between our firm belief in Jesus and God’s work and presence amidst the pandemic. In the midst of the pandemic, God is at work in all the people who daily confront the challenges of the pandemic which include frontline health workers–doctors, nurses, paramedics, contact tracers and even the scientists who are looking for a vaccine for the pandemic. We need to cooperate with God through the work of all the people who are finding solutions amidst the pandemic.

Pope Francis even encourages us to cooperate with God’s work by getting the vaccine. In a video message last August 18, he praised the work of researchers and scientists in producing safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines.

“Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from Covid-19.”

Pope Francis went on to say that getting a Covid jab that is “authorized by the respective authorities” is an “act of love.”

These memes, furthermore, presents a dysfunctional belief in God as while they honor God with their lips, their actions shows otherwise. Jesus emphasized during his public ministry on earth that our love for God cannot be separated from our love of others especially the poor and downtrodden. Getting vaccinated and maintaining safety protocols is the least we can do during these times of pandemic to show our love for the most vulnerable in our society.

In today’s Gospel of the 22nd Sunday in ordinary time, Jesus was angry at the Pharisees and Scribes because they manipulated exterior laws to feed their own egos. In the gospel, Jesus and the Pharisees had a public fight about the Jewish tradition of washing hands before meals. The Pharisees were complaining to Jesus why some of his disciples are not washing their hands before eating. This rule was “a tradition of the elders,” to preserve physical health, of course. But Jesus calls out the Pharisees’ obsession with the exterior observance of the law while disregarding the inner meaning of traditions and laws.

This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

In the eyes of Jesus, a pure heart is more important than clean hands. The observance of the Law and tradition is not an end in itself but an indication of where the heart lies. Jesus called the people to the true purpose of the Law: a heart centered on God.

To drive his point home with his disciples, Jesus dares to draw an earthy analogy from their experience of digestion and defecation. The food that comes inside one’s body is clean but when it comes out it is dirty as in feces.

Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.
From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.

The theme of the law of God as planted in the hearts of the people is articulated in the other readings today. In the First Reading: Moses’ teaching about the wisdom of the Law reminds the people where the heart of God lies: close to them. The purpose of our observance of the Law is to keep our hearts close to God.

In the second reading, James says the law is planted in each one of us.

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.

James understood the meaning of the law of God is not just in devotion and worship but also in caring for the poor and most abandoned,

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The responsorial psalm also expresses James’ social dimension of the law. Observing the Law is not a matter of clinging to what is human tradition but rather of practicing justice:

The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Any law of the Kingdom of God must emerge from love or else be empty. We don’t ignore the laws and have just inner devotion. But we need pure heart in order to truly observe the laws. A pure heart is a heart centered not on self-preservation but on loving God and loving God in one’s neighbor.

Lord, dwell in our hearts. Let the world know we are your disciples not because our hands are clean but because our hearts are sincere and dedicated in service to God and fellowmen and women.

I am passionate about the intersection between new media and technology. I continue to research and apply new media in theology and vice-versa. I am also a fan of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and her continuing relevance in today's digital world.
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