Jan 13th, 2022: What War Are We Facing?


What happens in Quebec with the reinstatement of curfew starting New Year's Eve reminds us that we are in a war. I still remember the experience of being under curfew during the Vietnam war. The purpose was to control the enemy's penetration. How do we understand this war against COVID 19?


Life is shutting down. We are trying to attack the virus as our number one enemy by creating another casualty of war. The illness that comes from isolation and fear will be something we have to deal with in the future. Much of the pleasure of life has been taken away by this pandemic. We give our way of life a new identity, new normalcy.


Families are scattered. Communities are divided. We proudly proclaim that we are in this together. Small business owners don't see it that way as Big Box Stores continue to score record profits. They don't even know whether they to remain open tomorrow or not.


We live in constant tension. We feel as if we are being manipulated due to the lack of clarity and the ongoing bombardment of the news about COVID 19. We don't even know how many times we have to be jabbed in order to be fully vaccinated. We say we believe in science. Science is not an exercise of faith. It is something to explore, learn and relearn. We forgot human beings are more than physical creatures. We have our spiritual and emotional dimensions. When we fail to acknowledge these needs in dealing with this pandemic, we are experiencing a new form of dehumanization.


Quebec now is thinking about putting a health tax on people who don't want to be vaccinated. By the same token, it has been paying for gender reassignment surgery. Both actions have to do with the conversation about one's choice over one's body.


We have to be careful because it might be hard to get back what we lose as our humanity.


1 Peter 5:7 

"Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."


Psalm 32:7-8 

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."

 

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