So what is next? How many times have we asked ourselves this question during the past nine months? Since July, twelve Councils of our one hundred and sixty-one Knights of Columbus Councils in Washington State have been providing Monthly Service Reports describing their Council’s activities. What are the remaining Councils doing?
I believe that even though our ability to meet together in person is restricted there are more than twelve Councils that are actively supporting our Faith in Action programs in many different ways. We need to hear from those Councils so that we can learn from them. While this may be a new experience for our younger members and their families, many of our members have witnessed similar difficult situations in the past. Our Faith enabled us then and will enable us now to come out of the current dilemmas: the Covid-19 pandemic, poor air quality, devasting forest fires, hurricanes and flooding, and a weak economy, among others. We will be stronger individuals in the end if we remain steadfast to the tenants of our Faith as described by James [1:27], “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
It doesn’t matter what is next if we take care of the small details in the lives of our families, our Parishes, our communities and our Nation, and as long as we continue to believe in and engage in the Corporal Works of Mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting those in prison, comforting the sick and burying the dead.
We can overcome regulatory constraints if we carefully plan our activities so that we protect our members and those with whom we interact in our Parishes and communities. Please contact your local public health agencies and find out what precautions are necessary. Please also contact your Parish Priest and ask what you and your Council can do to serve.
Restrictions that produce inactivity are only an excuse for doing nothing. Look for opportunities to serve your neighbors, your community, your Church and your nation. We will get through what is happening today. We will get through it faster if, as brothers, we work together to serve those who need our help. As laborious as reading reports is, I enjoy reading about your Council activities and will support you in any way that I can so please send me your Monthly Service Report.