Where is God in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic? This volume offers a variety of reflections from the perspectives of theology, scripture, philosophy, ethics, liturgy, pastoral, and canon law.

 

The chapters are addressed to anyone seeking understanding, whatever the level of faith. The book will be helpful for those in parish ministry and interested laypersons, especially in the Irish context. Besides being valuable for personal reading, the volume is also a welcome resource for parish councils or small parish groups, because each chapter concludes with questions for reflection and discussion. This book seeks to offer the beginnings of a theological reflection that will doubtless take years to complete.

 Contributors to the volume include Tom Casey SJ, Anne Codd PBVM, Pádraig Corkery, Jeremy Corley, Philip Gonzales, Michael Hurley, Gaven Kerr, Nóirín Lynch, Michael Mullaney, Neil Xavier O’Donoghue, Kevin O’Gorman SMA, Noel O’Sullivan, Jessie Rogers, Salvador Ryan, and Michael Shortall. The volume also includes an interview on the pandemic originally given to the Tablet by Pope Francis.

 

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• The Tablet Interview with Pope Francis on COVID-19, April 2020
• Becoming Church: A Parish Journey into, through and beyond the Pandemic
• Suspended Animation? Church in a Time of COVID-19
• Grief Observed When Mourning Is Restricted
• Keeping Fathers Busy: COVID, Clericalism and Parish Life
• The Final Rupture? COVID-19 and Popular Religious Practice in Ireland
• Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land (or How to Pray When Our World Falls to Pieces)
• Exile and Sabbath: Scriptural Models for a Time of Pandemic
• Theodicy: Where is God in COVID-19?
• God and the Problem of Suffering: Philosophical Perspectives
• Retrieving Passion in the Pandemic: An Existential Response
• Do Not Be Afraid to Give Your Time to Christ
• COVID-19 and the Spiritual Lives of Children
• Catholic Social Teaching and COVID-19
• Encountering God’s Mercy in Extraordinary Times: Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation During a Pandemic
• Praying in a Time of Pandemic
• The Foolishness of the Daily in Light of COVID-19: Reflections Towards a Christian Metaphysics
• Frequently Cited Sources
• List of Contributors