It was the day before I was leaving for holidays with my family in Melbourne that the first news appeared of Melbourne’s second wave of covid, with the initial spike in new cases. I still got on the train though, but took more serious thought about avoiding people down there.

Upon returning, though, there was a different sort of risk to consider. Would I bring covid back and infect our parishioners (and the other priests)? Fr Chris and I decided it was wisest that I should isolate for two weeks, to ensure I don’t bring the virus back and give it to our parishioners (the NSW government later mandated this isolation for people in my situation). So, having surfaced from my room only a few days ago, I want to reflect a little on my time of isolation.

In the end I quite enjoyed the time to myself; reading, resting, praying, playing music, watching live-streamed Mass, and still doing some ministry and meetings online. Initially, though, I was quite unhappy about the need to isolate and wasn’t looking forward to it at all. A few days in, however, God gave me a remarkable grace to be able to accept the situation, and get on with making the most of it. This shift in my frame of mind transformed the whole experience from one of frustration to an opportunity for this rest and time aside. It also opened me up to be grateful for many things; for the time in Melbourne that I nearly missed out on altogether, for the care of the priests bringing me food and whatever else I needed throughout those two weeks, and for God’s providence to give me the time to rest and pray while isolating.

Don’t get me wrong, though; I was happy to get out when it was over, especially to return to Mass.