For your part, you must strive to bring them up in the faith, so that this divine life may be preserved from the contagion of sin, and may grow in them day by day.
Baptismal Rite Revised 2020
Beginning Easter of 2020 priest and deacons will be required to use a new translation for the Rite of Baptism. Though, obviously, nothing essential in the Rite is changed, one change that caught my eye was the use of the word contagion as opposed to the old “poison”.
While studying over the new translation, I had to shift to watching coverage on the “Corona Virus” and the response needed in our schools and churches. Nebraska’s governor and several school superintendents have stressed on the fact that cancelling school isn’t so much about the spread among children as it is to them being carriers to grand-parents and more at risk people.
This brings an honest realization to us as a community. The health decisions that someone made in China, in Italy or across the street effect others. While some have scoffed at this as hysteria and over-reaction (and I agree in some extremes there has been)… It is also important to give praise to the showing of a virtue that seemingly disappeared from our public conscience. The common good.
Athletes have said; “If one life can be saved by me not playing in March Madness, it’s worth it.” (Some) employers have realized the need to be flexible and forgiving with sick leave. A large amount of public leaders have said with one voice: “Public health, the common good is more important than school systems, sports and traditions.”
Back to this word “CONTAGION”. Defined as, “the transmission of disease by direct or indirect contact.” Poison however would be something that only harms me directly. We hear the term communal used with COVID-19. The fact that someone does not know where they caught it.
Just as it is with our health decision — so to the moral decisions we make individually not only effect us but also can spread to our friends, family and communities.
This leads to the idea of communal sin; and the concept is much the same here. A culture of sin gets built up and spreads. (For sake of example, let’s use violation of the sabbath). — Soon it because easier for it to be transmitted and spread. A parish community, a school community, a city and a country begin allowing events to invade. If we would have separated ourselves from this contagion earlier and radically took steps to fight against it — we would not have fallen prey as easily.
Just as our athletes see that if staying far away from spreading virus saves a life it is worth it; so too we should look this way on temptation and sin. If avoiding the near occasion of sin can save a single person from being led to sin and separation from God — my desire should be to resist it!
I make this analogy in no way to draw away from the seriousness of physical illness. In fact, I hope by this reflection you can see that the parallel should lead you to see the social responsibility needed in both physical illness and sin.
