According to the Acts of the Apostles after the martyrdom of St. Stephen, “there broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside.” On the one hand this was a terrible tragedy. No one wants to be persecuted. However, God uses everything, even negative things. Because of the persecution the Jesus movement began to ripple out from its initial beginnings in Jerusalem. Instead of being content with what they had, the first Christians were forced to spread the word. All of which serves as a reminder that God can use the pandemic as well. We experience it as a negative thing but it might be the occasion for us to re-think what it means to be Church.
