As the coronavirus continues to redefine our social, and thus our ecclesial, lives at least in the immediate future, it is necessary to strike a delicate balance in our spiritual approach to these times. Any notions that such an epidemic is a “chastisement” or that eschew sound public health advice for superstition or conspiracy theories only exacerbate the situation. Medical and crisis management professionals ought to be allowed and encouraged to lean into their expertise to lead the rest of us, including bishops and theologians. And yet, the empathy and solidarity that form the backbone of Christian faith impel us to search for resources in our tradition that can serve us in times of peril, fear, isolation or division.
We are not the first generation to experience situations that felt chaotic and terrifying in the rapidity of their progression. In fact, despite the sentiments of nostalgia for halcyon days of the past, we live longer, healthier and more peaceful lives than virtually any other people in history. Never downplaying the horrific tragedies that metastasize around the globe, the vast majority of modern day Americans do not experience death as such an acute and constant presence as others in the past have. Statistics on things like child mortality rates, occupational health and safety, preventative medicine and longevity bear this out. The rates of improvement affect minority populations the most dramatically, though such peoples still face extreme barriers to access many of the systems that lead to healthier and wealthier lives.
In the past, during dire times of plague and persecution, our Christian forbearers sought advocates and intercessors when they felt powerless in the face of pestilence, natural disaster, or disease. The “Fourteen Holy Helpers” tradition arose as one such cloud of witnesses to whom people turned for aid and solace in their moments of fear and desperation.
In Bavaria, they were referred to as the Vierzehnheiligen and the local population dedicated a basilica named for these 14 Helpers near Bamberg. The group included Saints Agathius, Barbara, Blaise, Catherine of Alexandria, Christophorus, Cyriacus, Denis, Elmo, Eustace, George, Giles, Margaret of Antioch, Pantaleon and Vitus. They were venerated together, especially when the Black Death ravaged Europe, killing between a third and a half of the population. Thankfully, the mortality rate of the current pandemic — while serious and frightening in its own right — appears to be roughly 50 times less than the Yersinia Pestis that killed millions.
These saints not only were thought to protect people from various ailments usually associated with specific miracles or paths of martyrdom (think: Blaise and throats, the decapitated Denis and headaches, the disemboweled Elmo and stomachaches), but they also provided a less macabre lesson that can still speak to us today. Their courage and steadfast faith enabled people to find meaning in the midst of suffering and alarm, and intimacy with Christ through the saints’ often very public witness of Him in extreme duress. May we all emulate their interior and exterior strength and stamina in the trials each of us face during these events, and offer up our own inconveniences, worries and social isolation as sacrifices for those most directly affected and grieving across our human family.
Originally from Collingswood, Michael M. Canaris, Ph.D., teaches at Loyola University, Chicago.
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