Just A Word

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coronavirus, life or death situation, seriousness, stay home, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

As we continue to hear the seriousness of the coronavirus statistics, it’s easy to wonder if there are more deaf people in our country than we thought! Or is it that we just refuse to comprehend that there is reason for what the directives of government mean? I know that when we’re young, we think that we are indestructible but seeing news reports of hordes of young adults at Florida beaches for “spring break” just yesterday is truly shocking!

I am not willing to generalize this attitude to say the spread of the virus is the fault of millennials. There are many people – even in my generation – who say things like: “I’m just going to be out for an hour…” as if the virus has a watch to catch those spending too much time at meetings. Shelter in place means STAY HOME! unless there is serious reason to venture out for some necessity. The virus does not announce itself as it comes close to you. Are you sure you aren’t infected?

May each of us look to ourselves and refocus on the seriousness of this moment. (I know I’m preaching to the choir here so please forgive the rant.) May we do our best going forward in this life-or-death situation.

Just Wash and Be Clean

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coronavirus, Elisha, prophet, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wash your hands

In a rather startling coincidence, the first reading for today’s liturgy tells the story of Naaman, an army commander of the king of Aram (see 2 KGS 3). Naaman was afflicted with leprosy. When he was sent to the king of Israel who sent him to Elisha the prophet who ordered him to “go and wash seven times in the Jordan” to be healed, he was incensed because the instructions sounded so mundane. He was expecting something more extraordinary to be necessary for his cure. His servants asked him: “If the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.”

The coincidence I’m seeing is with the directives we’ve been given by the CDC and other entities with whom we interact. “Wash your hands” is the first item on the list. “Stay home” will be hard for those who need to go to work, but it is not the directive itself but rather the related issues that are the difficulty: childcare, everyday necessities = shopping, etc. Just thinking of how complicated our lives have become will be a worthy topic for reflection going forward. Cooperation is key. So stay safe and do your best. Pray for all those who find this situation very fear-producing.

In solidarity, THE SOPHIA CENTER IS SUSPENDING ALL ACTIVITIES AT BOTH LOCATIONS UNTIL THE CRISIS IS PAST — BEGINNING TODAY.

(The daily blog will continue.)

A Time Like No Other

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assess, coronavirus, Jesus, love, patience, surrender, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

It is not lost on me that we are in a situation – a world crisis – the like of which has never presented itself in the entirety of my life. At the same moment I recognize that we are moving deeper into the season of Lent, a moment of opportunity to come to a more conscious understanding of the meaning of surrender.

I don’t want to talk about the coronavirus because facing it might call me to pay attention in a way that I am unaccustomed to functioning. I cannot, however, disregard all the warnings simply because I am a healthy person. While that is a true fact and I am aware of the great blessing of that reality, I cannot ignore the fact that I am approaching my seventy-second birthday and although I would like to ignore the implications of that in this situation, I do it at my peril. I need to pay attention to what I am eating and how much sleep I’m getting, etc. — if not for my own benefit, for the welfare of the three women with whom I live and for others with whom I interact.

In addition, I need to assess which of my activities I am willing to let go, rather than ignoring the risks because I am not likely to contract the disease. One might not see the connection between the spiritual and practical considerations in such a moment as this but to me it is quite clear.

Patience and love, willingness to surrender for the common good are the virtues needed now by each of us. “What am I willing to surrender?” I ask myself this morning. I would do well to look to the example of Jesus for the answer.