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Isolation, abandonment, and the cross: why we need Holy Week during a pandemic
I recently called my friend Luke in Mississippi, to check in and see how his life is going in this new, bizarre time of self-quarantine. With only six confirmed cases in his state, he was just getting started. Day two, he said. I felt a strange kind of confusion as I considered how different our experiences were. Here in California, we’re approaching three weeks of not leaving our homes and now gearing up for four more.
A few weeks ago I heard from a friend of mine in the Middle East who said he had been alone with his family quarantined for a week and was prepared for another month. Another friend in the midwest was just getting started last week. A friend in Europe has been in his house for the past month.
For some reason, after talking with Luke this week I realized I do not know a single person across the world who is not isolated in their home. Certainly there are very unique places that are, for the most part, unaffected by this or even unaware of the virus. But for the most part, the civilized world is alone. We’re all alone, I thought suddenly. No one is out, no one is living a normal life. And we might not for some time.
