Category: Uncategorized

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Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, newspapers have been listing a series of books that you and I may want to consider reading in light of the times.

Examples range from Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Masque of the Red Death,” to Stephen King’s 1,200-page thriller, “The Stand.”

Each novel entertains the idea of some silent killer wreaking havoc on society.

While timely, these books begin collecting dust as soon as we’re finished; we know how they end. So we place them on the shelf, perhaps never to be read again.

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Then there are the classics, books appreciated generation after generation because of their brilliance, wisdom, and wit. 

Authors like Dante, Shakespeare, and T.S. Elliot come to mind.

Their insights into humanity are timeless.

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Beyond the classics is the bible.

It’s more than a page-turner, and more than a classic. It’s meant to be read again, and again, and again, because it best teaches us how to live our lives.

Soaking in the words of Jesus, in particular, is a must.

As he says in today’s Gospel, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

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The word “disciple” comes from the Greek, “to learn.” To be Jesus’ disciple means to learn from him. 

So when was the last time I cracked open my bible or highlighted a particular passage? When did I last soak in the words of Jesus?

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Herein lies the difference between a novel like Stephen King’s, The Stand, and the bible. Both cost about 20 bucks on Amazon. 

But one ends up collecting dust on our shelf after reading it, while the other should be the most important point of reference in our lives. 

If we haven’t already, sit with the Word of God today for a few minutes.

Let Jesus speak to you.

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Some health officials have described our country as being at war with the Coronavirus. What makes it so dangerous is the fact that it’s an invisible enemy.

We can’t see it, we can’t touch it, we can’t taste it. We can only feel it… after we’ve been infected.

As a result, we’ve been instructed to self-quarantine, to retreat into our homes, to lock our doors until further notice.

Although that may largely protect us from the virus itself, there’s another silent killer among us.

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Loneliness.

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Loneliness is an indefinite state of sadness; that feeling that something is missing; that we have nothing to do, nowhere to go, nobody to talk to; like we’re alone in the universe.

It can hit us like a sack of bricks, especially while quarantined.

But it doesn’t have to.

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It may feel like I’m splitting hairs here, but there’s a world of difference between loneliness and aloneness.

While both imply a type of absence, loneliness makes us feel isolated. 

Aloneness, on the other hand, means being by yourself without feeling lonely; you still feel connected to others. 

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This must’ve been what Jesus felt quite often. 

A sense of aloneness.

Although he was separated from his heavenly Father, for example, he didn’t feel lonely. As he says in the Gospel today, “The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone.”

Jesus remained connected to his Father through prayer.

These were the moments when he poured his heart out, when he listened to his Father, when he begged for strength, when he felt the deepest sense of intimacy and belonging.

Although they were separated, Jesus remained connected psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually to his Father through prayer. 

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That’s also what we must do – remain connected to the Lord and to one another. Say a prayer. Pick up the phone. Have a real conversation. Be proactive in reaching out. 

A friend of mine has even started scrolling through his contacts, calling every person he can just to say, “hello.”

We combat the Coronavirus by staying home. But we combat loneliness by reaching out to God and to one another.

So who might you contact today?

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On Sundays, I try standing at the front door of church to greet parishioners before Mass.

Recently I saw a young teenager outside who, for whatever reason, was in a terrible hurry and ended up falling not down, but up the stairs.

Although he stood up quickly and promised he was okay, I’m sure he walked away with a bruised ego.

Falling in public is terribly embarrassing. We all know it, because we’ve all done it.

For example, I remember falling in the middle of Times Square once!

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In the bible, falling has a double meaning. 

It not only means to lose our balance; it also means, “to sin.”

To fall means to sin.  

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In the Gospel we find a woman who’s fallen.

She’s been caught in the act of adultery. Imagine how embarrassed she must’ve been as she’s dragged by a band of men out of her home and laid at the feet Jesus.

These men are stewing with anger. A woman has broken the Law and must be killed. But before they unleash a barrage of stones upon her, they want Jesus to condemn her, too.

But he just kneels down eye level to the woman and starts drawing in the sand. Some say he doodles.

Others say Jesus writes an account of their own sins, which is why he dares these men to be the first to cast a stone.

Deeply frustrated, they leave him – and her – for a time.

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Although this poor woman has made a serious mistake, Jesus reminds them that no one is blameless.

They’ve all sinned – and broken the Law – to varying degrees. 

Lent is the time for us to recognize how we’ve done the same. 

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But it’s also a time to remember that God is a God of forgiveness. He welcomes us back every time we leave him.

Think no further than the Prodigal Son.

But God’s forgiveness is contingent upon our willingness to forgive others. 

Jesus would’ve forgiven these men their sins, for example, if only they were willing to drop their stones, relenting in their punishment against their neighbor.

Because, according to Jesus, mercy trumps judgment.

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In the bible, falling has a double meaning. It not only means to trip; it also means to sin.

Two things we’ve all done.

Before condemning others, then, take a quick look in the mirror.

“For as you judge,” Jesus says, “so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”