Blessed be the Vulnerable: An Environmental Spirituality Arising out of the Pandemic

Religion and Social Communication 20, no. 2 (2022)

Abstract

A pandemic, named COVID-19, took an unprepared world by surprise. In response. we went into lockdown. Were we going into a quiet space or a confined space? Even to a world that knows chaos so well, this was something new. The God of surprises was surely showing humanity who was in charge. This time of pandemic was giving the world a rare opportunity to slow down and take stock. What were we being taught? Here humanity could glimpse that spirituality matters. Spirituality tells us that we are so much more than what we may realize. Spirituality tells us we are called to look after each other on the planet, without distinction or discrimination, to look after our planet as we look after each other. This is our common home, graciously gifted to us by a loving God. We need each other. Did we learn from this experience? Life is a journey, a process. It is cyclical, rather than linear, not running according to well thought out plans, offered by humanity. The bottom line is that spirituality matters.