The COVID-19 pandemic has been with us here in West Texas for about four months now. Many of us hoped it would have gone away by now, yet we don’t know when it will end. It has turned our lives upside down.
 
I have been very impressed with the many ways our people are adapting to the hardships brought about by the coronavirus. Families have found constructive ways to live gracefully through this pandemic. Children miss their old ways of going out and having fun, but they are trying make the most of what they have.
 
Our parishes have been finding creative ways to make the sacraments available to our people while still protecting public health. Some have celebrated “Parking Lot Masses,” televised Mass, radio Mass, outdoor distribution of the Holy Eucharist, outdoor confessions, drive-through confessions, and a variety of forms of virtual Masses.  I am impressed with the rapid learning of the technological intricacies of livestreaming by so many of our people.
 
I am sorry for the many ways this pandemic has brought hardship and disappointment to couples and families, as their weddings have not been able to be celebrated in the way they had been hoping.  I am also sorry for the many funerals that were conducted with such limited numbers of people. Losing a loved one is already very painful; limiting the number of people at a funeral has been even more so.
 
Now that we have begun celebrating public Masses, our parishes are gradually rescheduling important celebrations such as first Communion, confirmation, and matrimony. As I travel to the various churches in our diocese, celebrating confirmation and other liturgies with COVID-19 precautions, I am overjoyed with the opportunity to be back in the living presence of our people. The social distancing and safety measures are challenging, but they don’t take away from the grace of God that is active in our prayer together.
 
Living with COVID-19 in our midst calls for daily decision-making. Should I seek testing or not? Should I shake hands with this person or not? How close to this person should I sit? Should I participate in person or remotely? Should I go to work today to help put food on the table, or should I stay home to safeguard health? Am I being too cautious or too casual? Whose health advice should I trust?  Which sources of information are really credible? We all need to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, especially for the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and fortitude.
 
As the battle against the coronavirus drags on much longer than we ever expected, we sometimes grow weary.  We are tempted to become frustrated and impatient with the constant vigilance. We get tired of the social distancing measures. However, the situation calls for a sustainable strategy carried out with patience and perseverance. As we witness a new wave of the virus, with a high number of daily cases, it may lead to many more weeks and months of hardship and self-discipline. Our faith in Christ equips us to make sacrifices to help protect the precious gift of human life.
 
One of the cardinal virtues is prudence. In our diocese we seek a prudent balance between the good of making available the spiritual resources of our Catholic faith and the good of taking reasonable precautions to protect the health and life of our neighbors.  We seek to incorporate the latest information from medicine and science, and we respect the guidelines issued by local, state, and national governmental authorities.
 
On the basis of that consultation, our diocese has published protocols for the liturgy and sacraments, as well as for other gatherings and church activities.  Those written protocols are available on the COVID-19 section of the diocesan website at sanangelodiocese.org.  They involve the standard practices that are being utilized around the world to help limit the spread of this deadly disease.  These include keeping a safe distance, wearing masks or other face coverings, washing hands frequently, and disinfecting surfaces.
 
Of all those practices, the one that has been getting the most resistance is the wearing of face masks. There are some individuals in our diocese who have a deep-seated opposition to our diocesan requirement of wearing face masks or other cloth face coverings when attending indoor public Mass. I acknowledge the sincerity of this perspective, but it does not match what I am hearing from the scientific community.
 
On its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers the following explanation of why it is important to wear a cloth face covering: “A cloth face covering may not protect the wearer, but it may keep the wearer from spreading the virus to others. COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice (e.g., while shouting, chanting, or singing). These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Recent studies show that a significant portion of individuals with COVID-19 lack symptoms (are ‘asymptomatic’) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (are ‘pre-symptomatic’) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, CDC recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings when around people outside of their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Wearing a cloth face covering will help protect people around you, including those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and workers who frequently come into close contact with other people (e.g., in stores and restaurants). Cloth face coverings are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by people in public settings. The spread of COVID-19 can be reduced when cloth face coverings are used along with other preventive measures, including social distancing, frequent handwashing, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.”
 
We have been regularly consulting the findings of medicine and science. The overwhelming consensus is that wearing face masks is integral to the fight against this disease. For example, researchers at Texas A&M and other universities recently published a study in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Comparing the mitigation procedures in China, Italy, and New York City, they found that face masks are the determinant factor to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. They found that face masks are significantly more effective than other prevention measures.
 
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also supports the use of face masks.  In his press conference on June 22, 2020, he said, “Additional scientific and medical data have shown that wearing a mask is one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of COVID-19.” He called on people to recover a sense of community, being agreeable to make sacrifices to limit the spread of the virus. On June 25, he said, “I ask all Texans to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and socially distancing from others.”
 
The requirement to wear a face mask or cloth face covering to indoor Mass or other indoor church activities is based on science and basic responsibility. It is not about preferring one political party over another. It is not about cowardice, but common sense. It is not about fear, but prudence. It is a simple application of our pro-life ethic. Life is precious and sacred. In response to the 5 ^th Commandment, “You shall not kill,” we are called to take reasonable measures that have been proven scientifically to prevent the spread of a deadly disease and protect human life.
 
In the United States as well as the rest of the world, one out of every twenty diagnosed cases of COVID-19 has ended in death. This virus is very much present in West Texas. I call upon all people in our diocese to be willing to get beyond the irritation and awkwardness of the masks for the sake of saving lives. Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second is to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Mk 12:28–31, Lk 10:25–28). Loving one’s neighbor includes not putting them at risk of death. If setting aside our own personal preference or minor inconvenience can make a life-or-death difference for another person, we should be willing to do so.