I am a high school religion teacher, and today, my school decided to close campus for three weeks. As of writing this, there are no confirmed novel Coronavirus cases in my county. It would be easy to call it an overreaction, and to say we’re being “too careful.” Frankly, I’d rather be overly cautious when facing a deadly virus, with a lot of unknowns, than to plug my ears, hum a reassuring tune, and pretend like nothing is happening.

The reality is, whether you view it as an overreaction or a set of necessary precautions, something is happening. We are closing schools, canceling events, and worrying about completing requirements for our education and our jobs. We are fearful for the vulnerable members of our community and loved ones abroad, anxious about economic downturn, and overwhelmed by the reality that we don’t know what’s going to happen. So, we are panicking, and lashing out like a teenager who doesn’t feel like they are safe or supported.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us of Paul’s exhortion in Phillipians 4:8:

”Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (CCC 1803).

That sounds like a much more productive endeavor in these times than to think about “whatever is uncertain, whatever helps me, whoever treats me unjustly, whoever is at fault, whatever is selfish, whatever is scary…”

As a coach, when my team seems to suddenly fall apart during a game (and perhaps blame each other for mistakes), I spend the next practice returning to the fundamentals. As a Catholic, when my life, myself, or the people around me fall apart, I lean on the fundamentals of the theological virtues. To practice virtue is to seek the good in myself and in others. And as a Christian, I see God as the source of all good, and thus all goodness that I can do is rooted in the theological, or God-given virtues:

Faith

Hope

Charity

Faith

Through faith, we “seek to know and do God’s will” (CCC, 1814). It is God’s will that we love Him, and we love one another. As activities that have maxed out our schedules screech to a halt, let’s focus with renewed vigor on our relationships:

Take the extra time you have and establish or strengthen a daily habit of prayer.

Spend time calling people you haven’t talked to in awhile.

Check on your neighbors.

If you are fearful about the health of those you love, invite God to be with you in that fear.

Hope

Hope is about trusting that God will not abandon us, that we have God’s help, and that our faith destines us for eternity in happiness with God (CCC, 1817).

Read Scripture passages that remind you of your hope. Like this one.

Don’t waste time assuring others they “have nothing to worry about.” That worry is real, and you may be their only support, so listen to them with patience.

Don’t abandon what is “true, honorable, and just” because you have an “excuse” to do so. Avoid setting aside your responsibilities and diving into a ravenous Netflix binge.

Continue to work diligently at pursuing the best of you, and promoting the best of others, with whatever resources you have. Your dreams still matter.

We are in a world filled with pain, suffering, and injustice — yet we can do our part to create a better world here and be confident in the promise of a perfect world in eternity with God.

Charity

Because we love God, we love others (CCC 1822).

Now is not the time to worry about ourselves.

Now is not the time to place blame.

Figure out what you can do to love others in this time, and do it with the same fervor you would if you your mother, child, partner, spouse, or closest friend tested positive for the virus.

Buy enough supplies for what you actually need — and if you buy anything extra, bring it to the immobile who are unable to get to the store, rather than hoard it for yourself.

Look for news of high-risk people in your area and share your extra sanitizers with them.

Offer to care for the children of the single parent in your neighborhood who still has to go to work.

Leave meals at the doors of friends under quarantine in their homes.

Discover what it means to care for others because it is the right thing to do, not because they can or will ever do the same for you.

A Catholic priest in my town once gave a memorable homily about the theological virtues. He reminded us that because of faith, we believe that God desires good things for us, because we believe this, we can be hopeful in any situation, and when we have hope, it is much easier to love others. So, if you have a few weeks of extra time ahead of you, or you’re suddenly swamped with treating the sick or caring for a family stuck at home, remember these three things: faith, hope, and love. Rather than falling apart, perhaps we will discover our greatest selves.