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| Collect of Philippine Martyrs |
“Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back again.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD! ...We accept good things from the Lord, and should we not accept the bad as well?
On Wednesday mornings, every four weeks in the Morning Prayer cycle, I hear Job's invitation to quit complaining and accept life as it is. Alcoholics Anonymous entones a similar sentiment with the Serenity Prayer.
The Year of Our Lord 2020 will be remembered as a year of challenges, grace, and opportunity. It is a crisis which should not be wasted. It's first lesson might be the helplessness we feel in the face of the mess we have made of our world. Americans have felt so assailed by the Covid-19 epidemic they've nearly forgotten the other epidemics that are killing us: suicide, drug abuse, alcoholism, gun violence, and loneliness -- to name a few. Plus we've been assaulted by terrific hurricanes and furious wildfires, with many lives lost. And the paralysis of federal government as it fails to address the crises in our hospitals, the disintegration of highways and other infrastructure, institutional terrorism of minorities, and so forth.
It is touching to see how many people expect the pandemic to be resolved by Operation Warp Speed. Do they expect we'll get back to normal when it's over. If that normal is the best we can hope for, we're in deep trouble. I don't remember it fondly.
We are in God's hands now and I hear Job's counsel: We accept good things from the Lord, should we not accept the bad as well?
If I would be free I should gently, firmly remove my ego from the space between me and God. I have my preferences but they have only served to make me less grateful, less appreciative, less spontaneous, and less willing to recognize the opportunities of the moment. My question is not, "When will this be over?" but "What do you want me to do now, Sir?"
I neither need nor have the Big Picture. I don't know where this is going. But God does, as Job knew so well. Why would I ask for anything more?
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.