“Do not be afraid”
Víctor Codina. We will not easily forget the impactful white figure of Pope Francis, walking alone and in silence, on a dark and rainy Roman afternoon, from the Basilica of St. Peter to his seat in the totally empty Plaza, so that he could speak from there to the world. It brings to mind that other image of Francis going alone and on foot through the concentration camp at Auschwitz. (more…)
Coronavirus Crisis, Chapter One: Collapse
Pablo Font Oporto. These days, in what I read and talk about, I find a great contrast between two extreme points of view. On the one hand are those who say that we find ourselves before “the great transformation.” On the other hand, there are those who only see an embarrassing hiatus. I find myself in the middle of the two. It goes without saying that we lack perspective and that we don’t really even know how long the crisis will last, how many people will die, what the short-term consequences will be nor how long the confinement will last. In any case, there is no doubt that we are dealing with more than a mere incident in our lives or in the history of humanity. It is also not probable that things will take a 180 degree turn in a few months. The resistance of human subsystems and the slowness of changes to global vision will be an impediment. What does seem to be clear is that the greater the gravity of the crisis (in social, human, temporal and economic terms), the greater will be the impact of the changes. Given that it seems that Governments are not really saying how grave the situation really is, it also seems that the consequences will be greater than what would appear from their declarations. (more…)
Planet “Caring”
Pepe Laguna. If an extraterrestrial were to appear today on Earth, it would inform its alien confreres of the existence of a strange race of beings who are obsessed about caring for its most fragile members. It would also communicate that on that diminutive blue planet which travels at full speed through the Milky Way it had detected frenetic activity around hospitals, homes for the elderly and supermarkets. It is a Planet of very peculiar beings who cover their faces with small masks and who, at the cyclical call of a satellite called the Moon, come out to their windows and balconies in order to applaud the work of those who care for others, an especially valued tribe judging by the amount of work they do and the unanimous recognition given to them by the rest. On the other hand, it might also happen that the Martian informant might write a dossier about a distant star in which a captive race was waging a battle without mercy against an invisible enemy. This would be a planet of peculiar beings, who at the cyclical call of a satellite called the Moon go to their windows and balconies to ward off fear and instill courage in one another. (more…)
God and the coronavirus
Jesús Martínez Gordo. “Now that we have realized that neither God nor prayer are good for anything, it would be a good time to give the money budgeted by the Government for the Church to the health department.” That was contained in one of the WhatsApp messages that I received in these days. Beside the fact that there is always someone who, taking advantage of the fact that St. Joseph was a carpenter, wants to talk about confession, I am interested in reflecting out loud about an old question which was posed more than two millennia ago by Epicurus. It has reappeared now with particular force: “Does God wish to prevent evil in the world but He is unable to do that? Then God is impotent. Can he prevent it but chooses not to? Then God is malevolent. Can God wish to prevent it and be able to do that? If so, then why does evil exist?” (more…)
