
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.)