— Brian Majerus, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Answer: Several distinctions and clarifications are necessary in the argument presented by your friend. Firstly, there exists an enigmatic relationship between God’s sovereignty and the actions we undertake freely. The fact that God is aware of our choices before we make them does not alter the reality that we choose those actions voluntarily. God exists in the entirety of time. For God, the past, present, and future are all simultaneously accessible to him. He is not anticipating anything nor pondering our forthcoming decisions. However, this awareness does not imply that we are fatally compelled to follow through with what he already knows. Hence, we freely engage in actions that he has eternally known we would undertake, and his graces and interventions are predicated upon that. Therefore, for those of us whose lives progress in chronological order, our actions hold significance; the choices we make are impactful. We are not trapped in a deterministic narrative where we are obligated to deliver our lines and exit the stage when our character has concluded.

In a certain way, we can state that the time of our passing is predetermined. However, this date is not assigned arbitrarily by God. Instead, he understands what actions we will take and the outcomes those actions will produce. For instance, God may have known from all eternity whether we would opt for a healthy lifestyle or an unhealthy one, whether we would participate in risky activities or adopt a cautious and secure approach. He has also been aware from all eternity of the ways the individuals and the broader human community surrounding us would freely decide to behave; whether those individuals would act carelessly near us or not, whether our nation would go to war or not, and whether we would experience an era characterized by illness, famine, and natural calamities or not. With this knowledge, God also knows the moment of our demise, but he has not determined it in a manner disconnected from our free-will decisions and those of others.

Thus, in relation to the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, God is aware and anticipates our willingness to combat it and take sensible precautions to safeguard ourselves and those around us. Although He has always understood our potential choices, we are not bound by fate to adhere to a predetermined path or exist as puppets manipulated by Him. He certainly comprehends the outcomes of our actions or lack thereof, yet His awareness does not eliminate our autonomy. Instead, it incorporates our free-will decisions, allowing God’s designs to progress. Our unwise choices do not hinder God, for He has always been mindful of them, has planned accordingly, and is capable of creating solutions from nothing.

Therefore, although one might raise concerns regarding the efficacy of mask usage or maintaining social distance, this kind of fatalistic “theological” stance—akin to a variant of double-predestination disapproved by the Church—does not present a valid argument.

Eucharistic blessing

Question: What is the reason the priest uses a veil to cover his hands while offering the benediction during Eucharistic adoration?

— Joyce Manion, Philadelphia

Answer: Each blessing a priest imparts is through his own hands, consecrated and linked to Christ’s hands during the rite of ordination. Therefore, Christ generally bestows blessings upon us via the priest’s hands with actions such as the sign of the cross, open hands or the laying of hands. However, in Eucharistic adoration, the priest possesses Christ himself. Consequently, the priest veils his hands to indicate that this blessing is bestowed directly from Jesus, who is truly present in the sacred host, rather than being delivered through the priest’s hands.

Msgr. Charles Pope is the pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian in Washington, D.C., and writes for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. at blog.adw.org. Send questions to msgrpope@osv.com.