What does it mean to be Church today? The answer, argues Dr Cornelio, lies in recognizing the new normal for what it really is. Speaking as a sociologist of religion, Dr Cornelio proposes that the new normal is about loss. From economic recession to unnecessary deaths, loss has become the narrative of many Filipinos for whom grief is the only appropriate response. And yet congregations fail to confront the new reality because their eyes are still on the old normal. In a counterintuitive manner, Dr Cornelio explains how grief is the way forward for religious life: to process our emotions, grieve together, and reestablish hope.