Will it be a better world when this is over?

What will things look like when this is over? When we return to our normal lives, whenever and  whatever that may be. One view worth considering is that of Pope Francis. In his homily yesterday, Pope Francis urged the faithful to consider a future where inequalities are abolished. Where the poor are no longer left behind. That is not an ideology, Francis argued, it is Christianity. He wants us to reconsider our priorities, and keep in mind that there are no borders between those who suffer, no differences in nationalities among those who are stricken. We are truly in this together. We are seeing plenty of evidence of that locally, where hundreds of people lined up on Friday in La Crosse to donate food to the less fortunate. We see it in the professionalism of our health care workers, some holding the dying hand of a stranger to give them comfort in their final moments. That compassion can be manifest at a larger level, with nations putting down their weapons and working to help one another despite ideological differences. “We are all frail, all equal, all precious,” Francis argues. As the coronavirus continues to cause devastation around the globe, it is clear that Francis is right. That “without an all embracing vision, there will be no future for anyone.”