Bittersweet Mother's Day. Max would've been flying out to go on his mission trip to Calcutta, instead he's home with us. I'd scheduled Mass intentions for Dagny for her birthday (best gift ever), instead we were only able to have our little domestic church. Still, we are blessed. My reflection for Thursday's Gospel--washing of the Disciples' feet--is up on CatholicMom. I wrote it last September, not realizing that Catholics worldwide would not have access to Mass due to the pandemic. How we hunger for the Real Presence of Christ amongst us. How we long to receive Him. How we miss Him. One of the blessings has been no sacrilege--but with churches slowly poised to reopen, I am appalled at some of the suggestions of dropping the Sacred Host into people's hands. Better not to distribute the Holy Eucharist than to do this. The risk of abuse is too much.
I am equally distressed at the lockdowns continuing. Do they actually save lives? Perhaps. Take a look at these two articles: Lockdowns Don't Work by Lyman Stone and The Worldwide Lockdown may be the Greatest Mistake in History by Dennis Prager. I hope and pray that it's people like these who are advising our governments about policies because it's one thing to be under emergency orders for a month or two (that have already destroyed many small businesses) but quite another if civil liberties are suspended for months on end.
There is always a trade-off between risk and security and unfortunately most people do not estimate risks very well. Every year, we have 1,000 people who die in car accidents just in the state of SC. Do we ban driving? We take a risk every time we hop into the car. We take precautions, like having a vehicle in working order, wearing seatbelts, and driving defensively, but we drive at our own risk. We risk becoming a nanny state, or worse, under totalitarian rule if we do not think for ourselves and our families. We are praying, praying, praying for our leaders to make wise decisions. I also loved this article by Msgr. Pope: Coronavirus, Where is Thy Sting? Why This Gripping Fear is Useless because yes, we want to live abundantly, both physically and spiritually.
So here's my birthday girl--19 years old! Still a teenager but maturing into a lovely young woman. She's the same age as i was when I met Michael, but the biggest difference is that she's God's girl and knows it. That's her true identity. I pray she continues growing closer to God. I still remember how upset she was when she learned that there was no St. Dagny--I told her she can be the first. After all, that's what she, and all of us, are made for. Heaven!
Here are some scenes from our little patch of paradise and it wouldn't be complete without a couple of book recommendations: Ultimate Makeover by Carrie Gress and A Mind at Peace by Christopher Blum. Be well. Pax Christi!
11 comments:
It's our young ones, whose professional lives were just getting started, (or about to) who have been derailed the most.
Oh Mirka, I feel so much for our young people who are trying to get established. We pray they will persevere during these difficult times.
Another excellent link: https://www.lumenchristi.org/event/2020/05/economic-costs-of-pandemic-catholic-social-teaching-economics-in-dialogue-joseph-kaboski
Happy Birthday to your daughter! She sounds like a lovely young woman, inside and out. I think I've read some of the same articles. :) Things are just starting to open up here very slowly, and our church held an impromptu communion out doors last week, which lifted my spirits. Although we've still seen our neighbors, I have missed seeing our church family in person.
The titles you shared sound lovely too. It is such a blessing to be a mom!
Thank you Jenni. What a great blessing to be part of an impromptu services outdoors. I'm looking forward to seeing our church family this Sunday.
Happy birthday, Dagny! Is she the artist of the portrait?
Thank Barb, and yes, she is the artist! I love that she can do this just for fun.
I read, with interest, one of the articles linked. You might like to read this one, a transplanted Canadian writing about Sweden's experience with the pandemic. https://www.macleans.ca/news/world/lessons-from-kronavirus-is-swedens-anti-lockdown-approach-more-strategic-than-it-seems/ Guess we won't really know which was the right approach for some time.
Sweden has a population about 1/4 the size of Canada, yet we've had only 5,300 deaths from Covid, compared to 3,800 in Sweden. Sacrifices made for the common good. Yes, I worry for all those so harshly impacted economically by this pandemic, but what about those who've lost loved ones, mostly the elderly, as a result of asymptomatic spreading? We'll agree to disagree on this one:)
Jan, thanks for that link. I read it with interest and I think we both believe we must do what's best for the common good. How is where we differ. Lockdowns affect the poor disproportionately--I think the better strategy is to protect the vulnerable, keep them safe and quarantined--and let those who can work, work.
I've been making masks for the Food Bank during the entire lock-down, mainly because I know so many Canadian kids get a good chunk of their nutrition at school; it's a great fundraiser, and I've become a one-woman factory:) The Canadian government is focused on protecting essential workers and pretty much giving people who had been working and now can't about $2,000 a month to tide them over through the pandemic. They've been giving massive amounts to all those disadvantaged, farmers, retailers, fishers, students without summer jobs, etc. Not sure how we'll pay for it all, but it's helping people survive. I do wonder if we had all been wearing masks when the spread was at its worst, especially in long-term care homes and hospitals, if it would have lessened the mortality rate and the need for an extended lock-down. Discussion is always good:)
Jan, God bless you for making all those masks. In richer countries, there are lots of social services. Here, too, people are receiving aid but many are struggling to put food on the table. The requests for donations at the food pantry have skyrocketed in our area. We are so thankful my husband still has his job, but there've been so many layoffs. I'm praying for all to find meaningful work.
The disproportionate deaths of the elderly points to a systemic problem in our culture--the breakdown of family and the warehousing of the elderly. I come from a culture of joint family and although it has its own set of problems, I think it's one of the better ways to live. It's family that's the bedrock of society, and how we treat the most vulnerable --the youngest, the oldest, the sick--points to how we'll grow as a society. As goes the family, so does society.
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