Two months ago we thought we were out of the water but it seems that we still need to take precautions to protect ourselves and our community, our neighbors, against the virus that has caused so much havoc. Much like many of the illnesses of yesteryear, it seems to have subsided only to rear its head again.
We moderns live as if any illness can be overcome, even conquered. Most childhood killers have been eliminated because of the infant vaccines we routinely give our children: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, smallpox, measles.
Born well before the advent of the measles vaccine in 1963, I carry an old memory of being shut up in a dark room for fear of blindness, a not uncommon result of measles. My mother told me the apartment door had a large “Quarantine” sign, and my father stayed with friends for the two weeks I was in bed. The possibilities of infecting our children with the virus because we’re not vaccinated are too dire to imagine.
Prayer for the Day
My soul thirsts for you, O God, as one thirsts in a dry and weary land,
We seek you, O Lord, in the mountains, the valleys, and the woodlands;
But you tell us to seek you among the peoples and creatures of the earth,
In places where we are afraid to go for fear of what we will find.
Satisfy us with your presence, so we can sing your praises with love,
Let us live in the shadow of your wings, embraced by your strength.
In the name of the One who shows us the way,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
Scientific literacy is an intellectual vaccine against the claims of charlatans who would exploit ignorance.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astrophysicist
Who are you going to believe? Leading authorities on medical science or 800 memes on your cousin’s Facebook page?
Samantha Bee, comedienne and political commentator
May God grant me to speak with judgment, and to have thoughts worthy of received,
For God is the guide even of wisdom, and the collector of the wise,
For both we and our words are in God’s hands, as are all understanding, skill in crafts.
For it is God who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists,
To know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements;
In the beginning and end and middle of times, alternations of solstices and seasons.
Wisdom of Solomon7: 15-18