Sunday, January 18, 2015

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 18, 2015

Our recent cold spell has reminded me of how fortunate we have been this winter. We made it all the way up past Christmas with no appreciable snow and no school delays. I keep thinking back to last year, when I didn’t have a garage for my car. It seemed like I was brushing and scraping just about every day. I was in a city neighborhood a lot of steep and narrow streets that are not fun when they get covered with snow. So even if we are currently having some inconvenience with the weather, I am still happy to be warm and dry in Kennedy Township.

There are other concerns at this time of the year beside the road conditions. Primarily, we are all aware of how easily a virus can circulate. We spend more time inside, in close proximity to one another, and anyone who has a bug can easily end up sharing it. I’ve heard the story more than once of one family member getting sick and spreading it to the others. By the time the first one feels better, everyone else has gotten it, and it ends up right back with the one who first had it. Sharing a virus, it seems, is the gift that keeps on giving.

Our church is, of course, a place where people often come into close proximity with others. We know that when we come to church we are going to receive grace in abundance from God, but we often are concerned with what we are going to receive from one another. A couple of areas of concern are the Sign of Peace and receiving the Precious Blood of Christ from the cup. Some parishes have gone so far as to stop offering Communion under both forms during cold and flu season, but I do not want to go that far. I would rather leave all of this up to everyone’s individual choice. If you are concerned with receiving the Blood of Christ, don’t. Similarly, if you have something that is contagious, please stay away from the cup. Eucharist in both forms is a powerful sign of the Sacrament, but we receive the entire reality of the Eucharist when we receive the Body of Christ.

Similarly, if you have concerns about the Sign of Peace, or if you are feeling ill, you do not have to shake hands. There should be some sign to those around you so that you are not skipping the Sign of Peace altogether, but you can do so without physical contact. I would suggest folding your hands in a prayerful posture and bowing slightly in such a way that the people around you can understand that you are not ignoring them but are simply taking a precaution.

Let me leave you with a story my father used to tell me about when my older siblings were young children, before I was born. It was my one sister who always got sick first and spread the germs around. So one day my brother Rich overheard Mom and Dad talking about the condition of the house. He heard them say that they were afraid we might be getting termites. Rich’s answer was, “If we get termites, Barb will get them first.”

                                                                                      Father H