State health officials have identified 160 new coronavirus cases in South Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 4,761.

S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control officials also announced Tuesday that five additional people have died after contacting COVID-19. In all, 140 South Carolinians have died from the virus.

Three of the patients who died were elderly, and were from Berkeley, Clarendon and Richland counties. The two others — who were from Greenville and Spartanburg counties — were middle-aged.

Richland County saw the largest increase in coronavirus cases with 34. Lexington County posted five new cases.

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Coronavirus spreads to 160 more in South Carolina. Five more dead https://t.co/DE9kypqSpW

— George Harper (@GeorgeH36498765) April 22, 2020

Abel León dreaded saying goodbye to his mother, Josefina León. Last month, Mr. León and his sister quietly celebrated their mother’s 70th birthday in Springfield, Ill. Mr. León, 44, who lives in Chicago, wasn’t sure when he would see his mother again amid social distancing. To prolong their goodbye, Mr. León suggested they say a rosary, a prayer that his mother has said every day for years.

“I saw how much that seemed to give her some peace,” Mr. León says. Then inspiration struck. “I said, ‘you know mom, we could stay in touch doing rosaries.’’’

The following evening, March 16, Mr. León and his three siblings joined their mother on a video conference to begin their new daily practice of saying the rosary, following along with a string of beads that represent the cycle of prayers. “This was a way we could just check in and be together as a family,” says Mr. León. “Mom is a widow and everyone worries about her.”

As word spread throughout Mr. León’s large extended family—his mother is one of 12 siblings—the rosary video-call quickly grew to include relatives spanning Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, California, North Carolina and Mexico. Mr. León, who works as a corporate-compliance investigator, offers the group technical support. Since his relatives are familiar with different video-conferencing services, Mr. León props up his iPad in front of his laptop screen, allowing people calling in through different services to see each other. “They can definitely all hear each other so it ends up working out,” he says.

It takes around 15 minutes for a critical mass of people to join the call at 8 p.m.

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On a recent Sunday night, some 25 members of Abel León’s family dialed in to pray the rosary together https://t.co/DpCNRPi62j

— Jorge Luis Lopez Esq (@lopezgovlaw) April 22, 2020

All year, death, after death, after death.
Then today look how majestically clouds float in the sky

–Barbara Ras (1949- )

Such a rare spell of calm sunny settled weather for #Shetland. The only clouds are those which have fallen doon oot o the sky. pic.twitter.com/HwpZnj08Df

— Helen Moncrieff (@helenmoncrieff) April 22, 2020

The Christian faith declares that in and through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God does all it would take to ensure fear, violence, poverty, death and disease will not have the last word. Bearing the load of others and sharing in suffering was integral to this but the keynote, ringing out that first Easter Day, is hope and new beginnings from the darkest of times.

We know the Covid-19 crisis will bring massive challenges to world economies including our own. It is a grave threat but it holds out an opportunity, and that is to build on what we have learned personally and collectively about being at our best for one another, especially in relation to the most vulnerable in our society.

Rather than sinking us, our challenge could lead us to consider and embrace pathways which would have seemed impossible before the crisis; perhaps a wholesale rethinking of what a healthy society needs at its heart in a new reality where less could turn out to be more. I wonder whether appreciation of each other’s contributions might become a new normal rather than criticism.The Easter narratives in the Bible may be pretty harrowing but they peak with breaking the hold of death and giving confidence in the goodness of God no matter what. So for you and those you love and care for this Easter, may tears be wiped away, fears relieved and the eternal song of hope and gratitude revive your soul.

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Bishop Lee Rayfield @LeeRayfield is in our studio with @benpratershow now, looking at some of the stories in today’s newspapers pic.twitter.com/dLaxL8NJ8E

— BBC Radio Wiltshire (@BBCWiltshire) December 19, 2018

Tucked on a short rural street in McClellanville, Greater Howard Chapel is used to seeing about 125 members on a Sunday.

But amid the coronavirus pandemic, the AME congregation is reaching hundreds, if not thousands, more through its online services.

An Easter drive-in worship experience welcomed members who parked cars on a grassy lot as they listened to songs from musicians and a message from the Rev. Leondra Stoney.

About 300 people had tuned in to watch the service live via the church’s Facebook page. By mid-week, the video had more than 7,000 views.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting it,” said Stoney, who noted she was more focused during Resurrection Sunday on drive-in logistics, such as maintaining internet access in the rural area.

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Some South Carolina religious institutions are reaching more people through online worship experiences than they did when members sat in the pews.https://t.co/QKzZ2oBcT7

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) April 21, 2020

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The world is facing multiple famines of “biblical proportions” in just a matter of months, the UN has said, warning that the coronavirus pandemic will push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation. https://t.co/TBqEwfbqPw

— CNN (@CNN) April 22, 2020

In this tomb, also, you may see, A pledge to us…Yes, verily, it is a pledge,

Of Christ’s power to raise us to a spiritual life -The resurrection of Christ is set forth in the Scriptures as a pattern of that which is to be accomplished in all his followers; and by the very same power too, that effected that. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, St. Paul draws the parallel with a minuteness and accuracy that are truly astonishing. He prays for them, that they may know what is the exceeding greatness of God’s power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” And then he says, concerning them, “God, who is rich in mercy, of his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us usi together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus^” Here, I say, you see Christ dead, quickened, raised, and seated in glory; and his believing people quickened from their death in sins, and raised with him, and seated too with him in the highest heavens. The same thing is stated also, and the same parallel is drawn in the Epistle to the Romans ; where it is said, “We are buried with Christ by baptism into death; that, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” But can this be effected in us ? I answer, Behold the tomb ! Who raised the Lord Jesus? He himself said, ” I have power to lay down my life, and power to take it up again….”

–Horae homileticae, Sermon 1414

Anastasis, mosaic, in the monastery of Hosios Loukas, situated near the town of Distomo (Mount Helicon), in #Boeotia, #Greece.https://t.co/2s8lqIDKVBhttps://t.co/g1nuqRQBc8 pic.twitter.com/yl7f4e3EMp

— ChristianArchaeology (@Christianarcheo) April 21, 2019

O Lord God, who hast revealed in holy Scripture what conquests faith has made both in doing, and in suffering: Grant us no smaller faith than that which overcometh the whole world, that Jesus thy Son is God, very God from the beginning, the First and the Last, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, world without end.

—Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)

Mountain house and view of alps in spring#photo #nature #beautiful #weekend #pics #traveling pic.twitter.com/WKQp9zesB1

— Enjoy Nature 🌻+☀️=💛 (@EnjoyNature) April 17, 2020

So put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander. Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and he who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

To you therefore who believe, he is precious, but for those who do not believe,

“The very stone which the builders rejected
has become the head of the corner,”

and

“A stone that will make men stumble,
a rock that will make them fall”;

for they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were no people but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.

–1 Peter 2:1-10

kewgardens: These are Lithops, which are commonly known as flowering stones or living stones. Succulents within this genus look so similar to genuine stones that it can be tricky to tell if they’re real stones or plants. 🌱 pic.twitter.com/ze7cRxkeJm

— PrestatynBot (@NantHallRd) April 21, 2020