Faith in a Time of Pandemic – Am I My Sibling’s Keeper?

CXXVIII
Am I My Sibling’s Keeper?
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God said to Cain, “where is your brother, Abel?” And, Cain responded, “I do not know, am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)

That is the question, isn’t it? Are we responsible for our siblings’ wellbeing? Do our actions bring beauty or sorrow, and life or death? Do they help or hurt?
Of course, we don’t see ourselves as the children of Cain, who killed his brother. We are not responsible for the current pandemic. We don’t see our wellbeing connected with others’ suffering.

Yet, we might take seriously, the title of Trappist monk Thomas Merton’s book as we look at our impact on the world around us, “conjectures of a guilty bystander.” He’s in a monastery, practicing a vow of silence most days, how can he see himself as responsible? And, yet in the interdependence of life, our actions and omissions shape the world outside our homes.

Recently, there was a great and sometimes vitriolic controversy over whether we should wear masks in public. People claimed that they had a right to go unmasked, even if they had no health problems that would preclude mask wearing. They claimed that we have a right to forego face covering in public, gather in small groups or go to parties without safe distancing, shop or dine without mask, and sing in public gathering as there’s nothing anyone can do about it. The fallacy in their position is that it’s not about my right to wear a mask but my responsibility to protect others.

In the biblical tradition, we are our siblings’ keepers or caregivers. We need to act to bring greater goodness and wellbeing in every situation. We need to remember the vulnerable and voiceless. We need, as Mother Teresa says, to do something beautiful for God.

There are a lot of things we aren’t directly responsible for. Still, we can do good and help others, locally and globally wherever we are and by whatever means possible. We can bless the world.
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Remind us, Loving God, that what we do makes a difference. Let us consecrate our lives to you so that beauty and justice – health and harmony – be advanced in our world. Let us care for our neighbor with the same care as ourselves. For this is the way of Jesus. Amen.

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Bruce Epperly is a Cape Cod pastor, professor, and author of over 50 books including HOPE BEYOND PANDEMIC, FAITH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC, and GOD ONLINE: A MYSTIC’S GUIDE TO THE INTERNET.