One of the worst parts of the entire COVID-19 pandemic has been the scenarios created during end-of-life situations. The heart-wrenching stories of the elderly being alone and afraid during their final days and hours are just awful. We have learned of situations where families were unable to see their dying loved ones for months prior to the patients’ final moments.

No one wants this to be the reality, but of course it is. Here are some personal stories about recent funerals and memorials services.

A young man of about 40 years of age passed away unexpectedly. His family didn’t get to have a normal funeral service but did manage to host a memorial service attended by about 150 friends and family members. Had the same thing happened a year ago there would have been long lines waiting to pay respects. His death had nothing to do with COVID-19, but several people in attendance did test positive days later. Maybe they did or did not contact the virus there, but it’s possible.

Another family held a funeral service and viewing as one combined event. The deceased was 88 years old and a very faithful servant of her church. She had raised a family of strong believers. None of them could have imagined that her final services would find everyone trying to communicate through masks and her husband of 69 years brought to tears — not because he had lost his love, but because the church forbid singing even though masks that were required for all in attendance.

We still aren’t sure how Jesus dared to get so close to those famous lepers in the new testament. The minister at this service wouldn’t touch the communion wafers even with gloves on and actually said “we won’t be having wine as part of communion because we haven’t figured out how to do that without killing people.” Maybe she should ask a bartender. Again, how did Jesus dare to get so close to the containers of water that he turned into wine at Cana?

Lastly, we were blessed to attend a Mass of Christian burial for the mother of an in-law, a sweet, kind, God-loving (not God fearing) woman of almost 90. Her Mass was wonderful although very lightly attended and held under the rules imposed since COVID-19 arrived from China. Her grandson was the organist, and he and a young priest sang the entire mass in Latin. That was a new experience for us and it showed that the old can again become new. Truly, we never understood a word of it yet were filled with love and compassion for the few family members in attendance as well as for the soul of the deceased.

None of these situations were perfect or even fair. None of the people participating left feeling wholly satisfied that this is the way it should have been. But it is what we have today. For a change, no one felt compelled to blame Gov. Wolf or President Trump for the circumstances. But we did sense a positive bond within the families as they stayed together to get through a difficult part of life. Maybe that is the silver lining of COVID-19.

— RV