Life must change

An RC priest has said life must not be the same after covid19.Fr Steve Duncan, acting parish priest at St Joseph RC, Scarborough, Tobago, observed while the virus has changed the country in ways people never imagined, people must use the lockdown to reflect on the things that are really important in their lives.He said the focus should not be on "getting through covid19 but beyond it."Let us allow the lessons learnt from this period to serve as a tool of formation for each one of us so that beyond this period, however, long it shall last, let us form ourselves into becoming better human beings," he told Newsday Tobago."We must come out of all of this, but we must come out better because of it. Indeed, life cannot be the same after covid19."Reflecting on Easter, which observes the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Duncan said the covid19 pandemic has given the world an opportunity to rest and ponder."We have been too busy. And in that busyness, without even knowing it sometimes, we would have reduced God to second or third place in our lives.

"But now in this period of rest, there is an opportunity to reconnect with him and to thank him, in a very specific way, for the salvation that he has brought about through the death and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ."Duncan said many Catholics felt a void over the Easter weekend because they were unable to physically attend services in their respective communities because of the restrictions to prevent the spread of covid19."In the absence of routine, we miss it. That says there is something in the routine that is very essential. But because we are busy and we go through the routine without necessarily entering into what the very routine wants to communicate to us, we miss the essentials."Duncan, the first Catholic priest to be ordained in Tobago, said while people may have grown accustomed to certain things over the years, which they regarded as important, the virus has caused them to value life.He said: "We gain an appreciation for each other, made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore, the onus is for each of us to be the best version of ourselves that we can be."Duncan said while some things might be important for life, they may not necessarily be essential for life."And clearly, this period is showing us what is essential. When you look at what is coming out from the Government and World Health Organisation, we see it is essential that we keep social distancing. We have to do the right things so as to gain the right result. This too shall pass."The priest said over the Easter weekend, the church used every communication tool at its disposal to minister to its faithful during the lockdown.He said this trend will continue."As best as possible, we are using the technology to our advantage because that is what we have at the moment even though we recognise some parishioners may not have access to the technology or may not be au courant with it. At the same time, that is what we have, so we are using it to the best of our advantage."Duncan said priests are also posting daily reflections via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, voice notes and text messages to parishioners."That goes far and wide."He said parishioners can also tune in daily to the Catholic website and stations, as advertised, "so they can stay connected with the local and universal church."