After Joanne's death two years ago I found that religious talk about her death was only marginally helpful. Too often certainties were offered for realities we could only hope. What I found helpful was the concern of the persons talking even if their words bounced off me.
Fools postulate that COVID-19 is God's punishment for some specific sin, which of course, always conforms to their prejudice. If it is punishment it's not "for our sins but by our sins" ala Richard Rohr. The sin being our lack of preparedness.
In an essay in Journey with Jesus, Debie Thomas writes:
"Over these past few weeks, we have seen Death magnified, Death exceeding all boundaries we try to impose on it. Can we rest in our shiny religious certainties any longer, given the scope of these losses? Maybe we need mystery right now — mystery commensurate to a planet reeling in loss. Angels in murky places. A stranger’s voice, revealing the divine. Transformations both inexplicable and uncontainable. Maybe we need God, who dwells in light so bright and so unapproachable, he covers us in merciful darkness to protect our fragile sight."
"Can we rest in our shiny religious certainties any longer, given the scope of these losses?"
Debie's quite right..."we need mystery now..." It was mystery that shrouded the meaning of Joanne's death. Mystery shrouds the experience of COVID-19. Who will it take? What's the aftermath? Will worship of 401Ks be altered? "Shiny religious certainties" don't hold up well to pandemics.
We live by promise.
Takk for alt,
Al
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