Lánchíd (Chain bridge, Budapest Hungary) Shines for Healthcare Workers

More and more of us are forced to quarantine or to self-isolation for weeks, as we are much safer this way during the pandemic. However, there are many who cannot afford staying at home, since they are helping 24/7 those who’ve been infected by the virus. They are the ones who fight in the front lines day after day, often without resting, sleeping or eating. They subordinate their own needs to a fight with an invisible enemy, and they keep on curing, healing and saving lives every minute of the day, even taking the risk of getting infected themselves.

They make extremely hard decisions. They are the ones who say goodbye to those whose immune system is not able to fight any further. And they are the ones holding the phone to dying persons so that they can hear the voice of their beloved ones for the very last time.

In these hard times, those waiting in their homes for the danger to pass, express their gratitude towards health care workers with one of the most ancient human gesture – clapping. The whole world claps for these brave and committed people from Wuhan to Milan, from Paris to London, from Istanbul to Buenos Aires and of course in Hungary as well.

As a sign of recognition and respect, the Lánchíd has been glowing with bright white lights since last Friday. The white lighting, symbolising the healthcare staff’s white medical uniform, is dedicated to the enormous work that doctors, nurses and carers are doing in hospitals and in polyclinics. This gesture of the mayor of Budapest is to thank this huge effort on behalf of the capital and of the Hungarian nation.

It is not the first time that Lánchíd has got white lighting: during the 1938 International Eucharistic World Congress held in Budapest, both Lánchíd and Erzsébet híd (Elisabeth bridge) had also been shined. The press of the time wrote:

“By the sound of the rocket, signing the ship departure with the Eucharist on board, the huge symbols of the Congress were lit up on both Lánchíd and Erzsébet híd so the neon lamp silhouettes of the Calice with the Holy Host could have been seen from far.”

The two shining bridges over the Danube were truly breath-taking sights for the crowds arriving to attend the Congress in the capital of Hungary. It was even more spectacular, given the fact that there was hardly any electric power in most of the countryside homes in 1938.

Eighty-two years ago, Lánchíd was shining for the Eucharist. Now, many decades later, we are preparing once again for the International Eucharistic World Congress. However, to stop and to put an end to the spreading of the virus have become more important than anything else. That is the reason that Lánchíd shines for those who do their best to stop the pandemic. Claps and lights make us think over the importance of selfless attitude, abnegation and persistent fight for the sake of a greater good.

On the fourth Sunday of the Lent, Cardinal Péter Erdő said in his homily:

„Although we are vulnerable, we can trust in God who has given us the wonderful talents of immunity, adaptability and sense.”

Let us use these precious gifts to survive these hard times, and do not for one single moment forget that should we get infected with the virus, we would be in good hands, as we would be taken care of by the healthcare staff, who do their best to cope with the challenges not only now, but always, everywhere and for everyone.

Let’s remember this even when the pandemic is over.