In terms of the intensity of life and the dizziness with which I live, this time of isolation is not very different from normal life, although isolation has generated a different way of relating to my loved ones, to the people I work with, has changed my way of working or "not working." But, substantially, there is no big difference. But the circumstances did change, a lot.

In this sense, I have realized that we live from the victory of Christ, which has already conquered. It seems to me that this is the key to the before, during and after of the virus. The question is always this, along with the question of how He decides that I participate in that victory, and how He chooses me to collaborate with Him. Regardless of whether the circumstances are these or those, in reality, they are simply specific situations where I can experience that victory.

The strength of the subject lies in the intensity of its self-awareness, that is, the perception we have of the relationship that constitutes us, of the victory of Christ which has already conquered and what He does with me; that self-awareness is what generates strength in the subject, which defines my personality and which is worth living for.

His presence is what I need, what I seek. It is the treasure, the diamond. He is among us in reality, in the circumstance. What we have to do is to look for Him, and not stop asking: “What do You want from me?” “Where are You?”

Like the sculptor's task. The figure (the content) is already within the stone, the job is to bring it to light. It is a good for me to discover the statue, a pride to be able to collaborate, and it is also good for the other because they collaborate in that common good. How does this choice that He makes, choosing me, develop? What is the dynamic? The first thing we have to do is to give our availability to accept reality as it comes and to look for Him in that reality: I want to see Your face. We have no other place in which to risk our life as meaning, as destiny, we have no other way of walking towards our fulfilment outside the circumstances in which we find ourselves. That is why it is in our best interest to live intensely what is real.

I have a rural farm whose main activity is dairy farming. What is the implication of living intensely what is real here? In the first place, discovering the logic of the production system, a logic that is given by whoever created it: animal, genetics, food, animal welfare, climate, etc. It is exciting to understand this logic, to discover how it works. It is the sculptor's statue, but for me it is dynamic, which has its advantages and disadvantages, because the sculptor can make mistakes with their hammer and ruin the work. I have the possibility to correct it, but it moves every day. Once a week, I meet with the dairy farmer and engineer, and together we see what has happened, what has changed. Each of them is good for me because they help me to see the logic of what has been created. Working together, we are asking ourselves: What do You want from us? Where are You? It is a path, we make modifications, and the following week we evaluate, we do School of Community with what is happening. Discovering logic is like discovering the dynamics of creation, touching His mantle.

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The second thing I have learned is the implication of living the real intensely. It not only has a logic but an end, a what for, a who for. We are feeding a lot of kids on a daily basis. Understanding the logic and its purpose has a direct impact on the profitability of the company and on its economic, productive and labor stability. To live reality intensely, to be aware of the instant, to be aware at all times of these signs that are so apparently fickle, so casual, as the circumstances through which this unknown Lord drags and summons me to His designs, is the best position to face the long term; living intentionally the real implies connecting the present with the future.

I can say the same thing about my other job; I work a metallurgical company with 150 employees. When quarantine began, the city's doctors, knowing the local health system, warned of how dramatic the situation would be in the event of an outbreak. The employer, having a detailed understanding of the company’s weaknesses, warned of his inability to pay wages. For two weeks, there was discussion about who was right without seeking the truth, the position of understanding logic and purpose was not the center and that isolated us. After a few difficult days, we had to get together: doctor, union delegate, businessman, municipal official, to understand what we were talking about, what this virus and its "logic" were, and to put the person back at the centre, beyond the resolutions given at a national level. We achieved the first consensual work protocol and made it available to the other local companies.

This way I verified once again that His presence is the greatest treasure and my work for the company is also a consequence of that search. If the company fails, the treasure does not diminish, we just have to change the way we look for it, because what is never at stake is His alliance, the preference He has, the content of reality. I like the work that He chose for me, and these talents that He gave me. He gives me this story, He gives me this companionship, this professionalism, with which I can enter into reality. This vocation is what moves me, motivates me and makes me like my work. I am suffering for my country, but I want to continue being here.

Fernando, Sunchales, Argentina#Coronavirus