STOPPING THE VIRUS

WE DIDN’T GO TO CHURCH YESTERDAY.  UNLESS I HAVE BEEN VERY ILL THIS IS A FIRST FOR ME.  OUR CHURCHES ARE CLOSING DUE TO COVID-19 .   THIS IS A SURREAL TIME . IT FEELS LIKE WE ARE IN A ‘DISASTER MOVIE’ ABOUT A PANDEMIC BUT WHEN THE COUNTRY OF ITALY SHUTS ITS BOARDERS IT IS NOT FAKE NEWS OR A JOKE. SCARY STUFF.

YESTERDAY, THE GOSPEL WAS ACCORDING TO JOHN AND IT WAS ABOUT THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.  (I ATTACHED A SONG I WROTE ABOUT THIS READING ..ABOVE)

JESUS IS TIRED FROM HIS JOURNEY SO HE STOPS AT A WELL AND ASKS FOR A DRINK FROM A SAMARITAN WOMAN WHO CAME TO DRAW WATER THERE.

THE JEWS AT THE TIME WERE VERY PREJUDICED AGAINST THE SAMARITANS AND SHE WAS SHOCKED HE ,AS A JEW,WOULD SPEAK TO HER (AND ALSO BECAUSE SHE WAS A WOMAN!)

JESUS TELLS HER THAT IF SHE KNEW WHO IT WAS THAT WAS SAYING TO HER, “GIVE ME A DRINK”, SHE WOULD HAVE ASKED HIM BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN HER ‘LIVING WATER’ AND SHE WOULD NEVER THIRST AGAIN. HE KNEW EVERYTHING ABOUT HER ALTHOUGH THEY HAD JUST MET AND WHEN THEY PARTED SHE WONDERED IF HE MIGHT BE “I AM” , ‘THE CHRIST’ .

I LISTENED TO A LIVE STREAM OF A SERVICE WITH THE HOMILY PROCLAIMED BY MY NEPHEW , RYAN, IN OTTAWA.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlheL3rkMyg&feature=youtu.be ( CHECK IN AT ABOUT 27 MINUTES)

ONE OF THE KEY MESSAGES I GLEANED OUT OF IT WAS THAT JESUS “DISMANTLED A MILLENNIA WORTH OF PREJUDICES” ( AS SEEN WITH HIS INTERACTION WITH THE WOMAN AT THE WELL)

‘LET’S NAME THE FEARS AND PREJUDICES THAT COME UP FOR US AND CONSCIOUSLY TURN AWAY FROM THEM. YES, IT’S VITAL TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS FOR OUR BIOLOGICAL VIRUSES …BUT IT IS ALSO VITAL TO ACT PROACTIVELY TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF ANOTHER VIRUS : THE VIRUS OF ETHNIC AND NATIONAL BLAME.’