Remember when it made a difference that it was Friday? Rules were looser; we had casual Fridays, sometimes lunch was brought in, we generally got out an hour early…. Now, I will do the same thing as I did yesterday, and the day before. Life after Covid 19 is even more restricted than life after retirement. I used to go after Mass to the Parish Center where a group was doing crafts, blankets for babies, cards specialized for festival days and given to folks in nursing homes. There is a knitting/crocheting group and a Rosary group who make gifts and Rosaries. That work stopped at noon and we might have a snack together before heading home to husbands who were employed in mowing the lawn or fishing all morning. Now… The group is likewise employed as I am, many in isolation, not ready to go out. We are isolated, quaranteened and looking out at an earth that suddenly holds fear of disease. It’s almost July, and we are still inside. The funny emails no longer come. I think we are worn out. We languish. Like the people who languished on the streams of Babylon….
Today’s and yesterday’s Mass readings from 2nd book of Kings 24 and 25 follows upon the long listing of kings after David who "did evil in the sight of God." They ignored the First Commandment and built altars in the highest places for their foreign wives and invited the idols into their palaces. Killing for greed (like Jezebel did) was normal. Finally the Babylonian king burst through the defenses and carried Jerusalem off in 2 waves… The Temple was burned, palaces were destroyed. A remnant was left behind. Never a perfect people, at least the people had their symbols in Jerusalem. Now, languishing on the shores of a river in Babylon, the people can only weep for what is lost. Jerusalem is in ruins. Never perfect, the people left alive in Babylon, have nothing but memory (Psalm 137). Wow! How grim. I’ve been reading about "American sin" and the stories that are coming out about our building ghettos for the black communities, "outside of town." Sundown towns where people of color had to be out by sundown, etc. We hanged people for their color. In Matthew 8, a leper goes right up to Jesus and asks for healing… "If you will do it, Jesus." Jesus answers, "I will do it." and Boom! the leper is healed. Jesus doesn’t retreat from the leper, rather he puts out his hand. God has sent to the people who failed repeatedly to love a gentle, loving Savior. The Law no longer comes from stone tablets, although the law of the Ten Commandments still is the base stone, but the law comes from the lips of a traveling young preacher who said, "Take my words of love into your hearts, and love your neighbor." Love. My dears. Go outside and look at the beauty of nature. Enjoy some quiet time in the shade (It’s hot out there!). I’m off for a morning walk. You go too and say a little prayer for our hearts and our country. God bless us. Angels with us.