One of the older members mentioned to me that she would be having cataract surgery. The next time we spoke, I asked her how the surgery had gone. “Terrible,” she replied, “Now I can see all the cobwebs in my house.”
Perhaps we might compare God to an eye surgeon, removing lens from our eyes, allowing the Light of Christ to shine more clearly - which inevitably reveals some of the cobwebs in our lives. I wonder if that is what is happening on a large scale today for it seems that the rapid spread of COVID-19 revealed some of the cobwebs in our way of life and our institutions. The question now may be which cobwebs to clean up first.
I am reminded of the move out of a house my family have lived in for over twenty years. Many questions arose about what items to keep, what it discard, what to organize in a new way. My husband and I did not always see eye to eye in those discussions. If we, as a people, are in a similar situation now - trying to make decisions about how best to go forward after the experiences brought on by COVID-19, we as a people may not always see eye to eye on the necessary changes.
As the Light of Christ makes us aware of cobwebs in our individual lives and our collective life, we might try to be like Matthew’s householder who “brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” May we bring with us what is helpful from the past but not be afraid of living in new ways. With our cataracts removed, may we see more clearly the way that we are called to follow.