Exploring thoughts with purpose ℠
As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
– Matthew 17:22-23
Happy Good Friday!
Blessed Good Friday? That sounds more appropriate. It is a very solemn day, after all, as we recognize (celebrate?) the brutal torture and crucifixion of God come down as Man. Can it really be a good day when we’re talking about the murder of any innocent life, let alone someone perfect and all-loving?
Strangely, yes.
So, for anyone tuning in not familiar with the term Good Friday, it’s effectively the culmination of the Lenten season. We spent all of Lent getting ready for this weekend: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday, we celebrate Christ’s conquering of death through His resurrection. Yay! Happy day! Clearly Easter is a time of celebration!
And for Jesus to rise from the dead, He first had to become one of the dead. He had to die to rise. This makes sense logically. But why did He have to rise from the dead in the first place?
The short answer: to save us from ourselves.
In a previous series, we looked at the seven deadly sins and the virtues that combat them. Our working definition for sin is anything that turns our focus away from God. What we didn’t deeply discuss was the impact of sin on our lives. We didn’t go into how our choices to sin impact not only our relationship with God but also our relationships with those whom we love and the relationship we have with ourselves. I’m not going to short shrift this discussion by attempting to squish it in with the Good Friday discussion, so here’s the one-liner…
Sin hurts all of it, everything, everyone, cutting us off from our true, amazing selves as well as God and the people we love.
We mess up sometimes. That’s not a shocker, is it? It also probably comes as no surprise that messing up hurts the people we care about. For the sake of simplicity, let’s take a simple example: if you stab your friend’s hand while doing a knife trick, your friend probably won’t trust you with sharp objects for a while. Physical pain is a pretty solid deterrent for dangerous behavior because most people dislike being in physical pain.
In a similar way, when we sin, we withdraw ourselves from God. When we sin, we pull away from others, even the person we want to be. God doesn’t want us to feel isolated and unloved! God loves us more than we can begin to comprehend! God always has His merciful hand extended for guidance to lead us back to Him. God is merciful love.
God is also just. He abounds in mercy, but so, too, does He abound in justice. Mercy and justice are two sides of the same coin: something cannot be merciful if justice has not been properly applied. For a penalty to be merciful, the decision must first be rendered on whether the action was wrong, how much harm it caused, and the proper range of recourse. A two-year prison sentence might be considered lenient, forgiving, and merciful for some crimes and extremely harsh for others. Justice must be recognized for mercy to have an opportunity.
Justice, in this case, condemns us all to death for our sins. God did everything for us, and yet, through original sin, we turned away. We decide (on a recurring basis) that either we know better than God or that God doesn’t love us as much as He should. We decide, for whatever reason, that we are better off going about life without following the instructions God set for us.
Bad decisions happen.
God constantly calls us back.
So we try again. We decide, okay, that wasn’t the best idea after all. Maybe if I trust God in this one issue, we can move forward. Good on you! That’s awesome! God extended His merciful hand, and you are trying again. Marvelous!
Justice must still be paid.
For the wrongs we commit, and for the wrongs that all of humanity commits, there is a penalty. We owe everything and failed to give it, and the penalty for that is death.
But God wants to save us.
God, in His perfect justice, knew that the blood price had to be paid. God, in His perfect mercy, offers His hand to any who will return to Him. And God, in His perfect wisdom, knew precisely how to both extract justice and grant mercy.
God gave us His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die an excruciating death in our place. Jesus suffered a torturous day of sentencing, beatings, mockery, bloodletting, abandonment, and every kind of pain imaginable. And then He died. Jesus died on the cross that first Good Friday so that we can return to Him and the Father.
Today’s sorrow comes from the death of Jesus.
Today’s joy is that God loves us so much that He decided to take our place on that cross.
Remember on this solemn day that there is still joy. We know that Jesus rises on the third day. We know that because Jesus died and rose on the third day, there is hope. There is hope. There is hope in every difficulty, in every dark alley, in every agonizing moment, in every forced half-smile, in every wince, in every fear. In every single situation, there is hope because my Savior lived, died, and rose from the dead to guide me back to Him. That is how much God loves me, how much God loves you. God loves each of us to the point of accepting death in the most painful manner possible to just give us a path in case we choose to return to Him.
Boundless love is always something to be joyful for.
Happy Good Friday.
Once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain: when you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.
– Haruki Murakami
I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
– Jesus speaking in Matthew 16:18
It’s okay to sing in the rain.
No –
It’s good to sing in the rain!
How else will you know you’ll make it through?
How will you make it through if you don’t know you will?
That’s the secret nobody teaches you.
We can pull through – we always have.
We just have to keep moving forward.
Just have to keep singing in the rain.
With the exception of eggs, things seem to simply be going my way.
Okay, so there are always minor things (like eggs and oddly reduced store hours) that are probably tossing many of us for a loop right now. Some are less fortunate as they have to endure the actual illness or put themselves in serious danger of contracting it. (Thankfully, the United States currently seems to have enough hospital beds and ventilators to keep pace with demand, and archaic regulations were recently waived to enable manufacturers and retrofitters to keep ahead of the turbulence. To the elderly in Italy, you have our prayers.)
I have a tendency to turtle up inside when given the option. I way prefer working in the office to working from a shelter-in-place scenario, but otherwise, I’m game for a snow day. Or a snow week. Or an Ice Storm of ’98. Just keep us to under two weeks of being unable to enjoy the light of day and I’m probably good.
Anyway, I was running exceptionally low on soap this morning, so I needed to venture out into an actual store. (Yikes, right? Thankfully I’m neither paranoid nor concerned about my immunoresponse systems.) Given several different factors, I opted to try the discount chain I frequent over the standard big box stores.
I walked in and was greeted by a full shelf of various soaps, boxes of gloves, and other personal cleaning supplies. (One of the soap products was made with volcanic ash. Simultaneously cool and not something I want to spend the premium to use.) I meandered about seeking some other things I was/am running low on. And you know what?
The shelves were full. Every shelf had product on it.
I found the actual handsoap aisle and discovered they keep soap in stock that my grandmother loves. (It’s a high quality soap with a mild scent.) As it made me think of Grandma, it went into my basket. I was in a pretty good mood walking in, and finding that just perked my ears higher. I got Grandma soap. I even managed to rationalize buying a six pack of it when one will probably last me a month. (They didn’t have singles of that kind of soap, and I wanted that one.) And the cashier was simply fabulous; we had a great little conversation, and I’d hop in her line any time.
After a successful venture there, I went to a normal grocery store to get eggs.
They were closed. At 7:15 pm, the grocery store was closed.
*Eyebrows furrow.*
Oh well. I shrugged it off and drove to the nearby supercenter. Again, no eggs, and no random this or random that which appeared on my list. However, having these random things actually on my list encouraged me to ask associates (mid-restock) for directions. Every single one of the people I interacted with (and they were in clusters, so speaking with one meant interacting with at least three) was in high spirits. Maybe they were enjoying the adventure of tidal waves of customers, or maybe they just had humor for the situation. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were amiable, happy to help, and even a little chatty.
As I was returning from the adventure, my brother called me – the one most likely of us all to come down with any rampant virus because he works in a hospital – just to check in. He’s doing well, and he even mentioned that he picked up enough meats to entertain himself with his smoker should he need to quarantine-in-place. (Plus, we talked about some tentative good news sitting just on the horizon.) Because he’s the most at risk and he’s doing well, I feel confident in saying the fam is doing well.
What a way to top off a day where I got a fairly intense, multi-day project done . I got it done, and I got it done well. (And I’m exceptionally happy that I didn’t give in to my grouchiness at technical problems and send off the product without proofreading it.) Perhaps a little overly-thoroughly, truth be told, but the secondary and tertiary arguments are the ones that stuck out the most, so they made it to paper first.
And.
And.
I’m still flying a teensy bit high off of the praise I received yesterday. The client, known to be quite picky and to change little things here and there in a work product, had nothing to add, delete, or alter before my document was submitted. The managing partner said they “really liked it,” and the paralegal pointed out how impressive a recommendation that is from that particular inside counsel. Yeah, definitely feeling like singing in the rain today.
So today was a pretty awesome day. We still have some snow, but it’s melting; the store wasn’t incredibly crowded; the personnel in the stores were fabulous; and I stayed on track with what I planned to get done despite myself and some technical glitches. Overall, I feel like whistling.
With this kind of luck, tomorrow there may even be eggs in store. 😮
It has been pretty nutty lately, hasn’t it?
Everywhere you look, every time you talk to friends, every time you run some errands or even just go out for a walk, there is clearly something different. It seems the atmosphere itself has changed as a result of the pandemic. It’s strange. For better or for worse, it certainly is strange.
Personally, I feel like I’m benefiting from this social distancing and scare-your-neighbors-to-stay-indoors thing. Sure, meeting new people is super awkward now (“Hi! Nice-to-meet-you handshake-from-six-feet-away. #NoTouching”), but I don’t have to take my walks late at night to get the sidewalk almost entirely to myself despite where I go. (I love night walks, but it’s nice to see some sunlight every once in a while.)
The pandemic has also made the character of people clear, giving me an opportunity to reflect not only on how others are responding to the situation, but also to how I am responding to it. Have you looked at how you are reacting to the COVID-19 threat? How are you changing your behavior as a result of the novel coronavirus, social distancing, and all of the new rules and expectations that entails?
I live with an elderly woman, so I bought a pump bottle hand sanitizer for the house and put up a sign asking people to please use it. I also bought some canned goods, but that was more as a result of there not being any eggs (!!!) than that I’m actually concerned about an extended quarantine. Additionally, and much to my chagrin, I’m working from home; I suppose it saves on gas, but I’m one of those people who relies on a separate office spade to separate work from the rest of the day. (Now I’m going to bed and waking up thinking about how to phrase something in an office action response; I don’t believe that’s considered healthy.)
These things are pretty typical, but they certainly don’t characterize my response. My response has been so multi-faceted that I’m dedicating a separate post to it. The gist of it, basically, is that I’m Catholic and I’m American; don’t you dare tell me what I can and cannot do.
Well, if you’re tuned in to just about anything – social media, the news, or just have ventured to the store recently yourself – you’ve probably noticed some of the shelves seem pretty bare. There’s nothing wrong with the supply chain; the vast majority of the supplies the stores are out of will be replenished in a week or two. Regardless some people are buying absurd amounts of stuff.
One of the biggest concerns is toilet paper. Luckily, I bought a relatively large thing of it a few weeks before the fears crept near us, so I still have a couple of weeks worth of the stuff, but there are people who are going pretty crazy over toilet paper. I’m talking Black Friday Tickle-Me-Elmo crazy: attacking people, launching oneself at restocking pallets, the works. That’s nuts, people. And if you’re one of the people ripping products out of a store associate’s hands, you should seriously visit a psychiatrist. Seriously.
And don’t get me started about the breathing face masks. Masks are used to prevent someone from giving away a contagion, but it doesn’t prevent you from catching one. Realistically, because COVID-19 is spread by the virus entering the body through holes in the face (mouth, ears, nose, pores… take your pick), and because someone wearing a mask is more likely to touch their face than someone who isn’t (because they have an uncomfortable mask to adjust), wearing a mask makes it more likely that someone is going to contract the virus. Simply put, unless you’re sick, don’t wear a mask.
But viciously hoarding toilet paper and other products isn’t the only reaction.
Amidst all the chaos, there is a lot of helping going on. People are reaching out to friends and neighbors in need. People are also reaching out to strangers in need.
Think Freecycle is where all the peace-loving hippies hang out? Okay, then explain the same thing happening on Craigslist:
Maybe it’s just those Concordians (Concordites?). That must be it, right?
Buffalo, New York has the same postings. And I’m willing to bet that most cities have similar postings all across the United States. Why would I be willing to make that bet?
Because the American spirit is alive. We are a loving, giving people.
Oh, and companies are getting involved, too.
What an amazing time to be alive.
For some of us, the positive responses effectively smack us in the face. Maybe people close to you are the ones offering free stuff or reaching out via phone to check on friends. (The guidelines are to stay physically separated, but not to isolate yourself.) Maybe you’re the one reaching out to those you love or the unattended in your community. Maybe you snatched that bundle of toilet paper out of the associate’s hands because you promised to fetch one for Tiny Tim.
There is so much going on right now. Most of what’s covered in the news is dramatic because the drama is what keeps everyone glued to their newsfeeds. Ignore the drama. Find the grace. There are wonderful acts of kindness everywhere and even in the most trying of times. In fact, in the most trying of times, there are often more acts of kindness because this is when we realize that our neighbors need us to be kind!
What marvelous things are you noticing? We face this virus together, even though we’re physically separated. How are you helping your community to grow?
It’s been a rough few days, hasn’t it? Well, amidst the corona-crazy (the virus itself, the reactions of people to it, the adjustments we’re all having to make as a result of various measures, and the way we’re newly finding ourselves interacting with each other), you still made it this far. The Lord has a plan for you. Maybe this presents an excellent opportunity for you to get to know Him a little better?
Hopefully you stopped in here for a little pick-me-up because that is precisely what I had in mind. There’s plenty of panicking elsewhere; here, we can strengthen our calm to carry it out into the world – whether or not you’re cooped up at home.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
– Proverbs 3:5-8
and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
And for those seeking a more contemporary quote…
This is just a temporary moment of time that we will overcome together as a nation and as a world.
– President Donald Trump, Coronavirus Address,
response to WHO Declaring COVID-19 a Pandemic
Stay calm. Stay strong. Stay clean. Most importantly, know you are loved even in your darkest hour.
I live in a house with several other people. Today, one of my housemates was rushed to the hospital.
If you’ve been paying no attention to the news, work from home, haven’t been shopping in the past week, and aren’t in any way (directly or indirectly) involved in your community, you may have totally missed the current event that appears to be dictating many of our lives at the moment. As for the rest of us, the term COVID-19 springs to mind.
Quick recap for anyone who has managed to escape the fear-mongering of the media and the impact it has had:
COVID-19 (short for Corona Virus Disease – 2019, colloquially known as the coronavirus) popped up in the Wuhan area of China back in December. Since then, it has migrated around the globe, causing panic (and panic buying) in its wake. (The World Health Organization [also known as WHO] offers a timeline of events, available here.) Essentially, COVID-19 is a bad case of the flu that nobody is prepared for – either within themselves or without.
What I mean by that is, COVID-19 isn’t just a new strain of something like the flu is; it’s caused by an entirely new virus which nobody had previously been exposed to. As a result, nobody has built up immunity to it. Contrast that with the flu which has been making the rounds for over a hundred years; most people have had some version of it, so our bodies’ immune systems know how to protect against it. As a result of the same newness, nobody invented a cure, vaccine, or treatment for COVID-19 because it didn’t exist before.
There are more differences than simply novelty separating COVID-19 from the flu, but the novelty is the part that’s really causing problems. Hospitals are calling for droplet protocol (any “droplet” from an infected patient is potentially infectious), but there’s a theory that it may be more airborne than standard droplets (even if it’s only a statistically significant problem in hospitals).
So it is a little worse than the flu for two reasons: we don’t quite know how to deal with it (though there are working treatments and most infected people have recovered or are recovering) and we’re not sure how it spreads.
But the ray of hope: avoiding catching the coronavirus is simple and easy. First, the top technique every health expert and parent and halfway-decent roommate has been urging for years:
There’s a technique to it. Turn on the faucet, add soap to hands, get enough water to be able to foam bubbles with the soap, lather or scrub (rub-a-dub-dub) for at least twenty seconds, then rinse. Boom. You just protected yourself from a case of COVID-19, the flu, and your mother’s voice wailing at you from ages long gone for not listening to her.
This is the single most recommended suggestion for staying healthy this virus season, so wash your hands. Hand sanitizer is helpful in a pinch, but it isn’t as good as washing your hands, especially if there’s something actually on your hands.
The other thing that has everyone talking as of late is more of an imposition…
Basically, stay away from people. If you might be sick, stay away from other people so you can’t infect them. If you’re sick, self-quarantine. Here’s the kicker: if you’re healthy, stay away from any group gatherings.
This is why every major public event has been cancelled recently, why schools are closed, and why most people are working from home if possible. The fewer people we come in contact with, the fewer chances we have of catching the virus. (COVID-19 can be undetectable for nearly twelve days, most cases taking five days to display symptoms.) And if we don’t catch the virus, we can’t pass it on to others.
Sometimes we can’t avoid people (for better or for worse), but given the current situation, if the opportunity arises to keep a fair distance (minimum of 6 feet), please do so.
Be as hygienic as possible in this tumultuous time, washing your hands after any potential exposure as well as when they seem dirty and certainly before interacting with other people, your face, or food. The best investment we can make right now – in ourselves and others – is taking the time to wash our hands.
I’m praying for a quick emergence from this cloud of social distancing. Stay safe!
Edit:
The Google doodle today (20 March 2020) recognizes Ignaz Semmeweis, the physician recognized for discovering the importance of handwashing. (His discovery saved many women who would have otherwise died in childbirth as a direct result of the dirty hands of the attending doctor.)
I bind unto myself today
– Saint Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
first and final two stanzas
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
How did you celebrate?
Today I got to wear a bow tie. It was awesome. Nothing in my wardrobe is both green and professional, so I went without. But lo! As I was wishing everyone a happy holiday, one of the men in the office exclaimed that he was going to have to change ties. I joked that I wanted to borrow one so I, too, had green for the day, and he nodded at me and asked, “Regular or bow tie?”
“With this dress? Definitely a bow tie.”
Awesome. It was just simply fantastic. It was a real bow tie (thankfully, as I had nothing to attach it to), so I had to estimate my “neck size” (which he kindly estimated as far too small), he had to tie it for me (which was a little strange), and then he showed me how to adjust it (which was plenty complicated in and of itself). It looked fabulous. I was stoked. The experience was awesome. I wore it all day; eventually got used to the little noose around my neck, and I nearly forgot to return it at the end of the day.
I hope your Saint Patrick’s Day was phenomenal. Did you, too, perchance get to wear a bow tie?
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
– Jesus speaking in Matthew 5:14-16