In Luke's Gospel, in the sixth chapter, Jesus says this,
Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
It may seem strange to suggest it, but even in times of hardship, even in times when our hearts are heavy, sometimes, finding something to be glad about and maybe something to laugh about can actually help. Now, you can't fake it, but sometimes it can help.
I think of times in my own family when we have attended family funerals, and after the funeral, there's usually some kind of repast. And no matter how sad the journey to death has been or how painful it has been, when the family would gather around, folk would start telling stories, sometimes, stories about the deceased, sometimes, just family stories. There would be the sound of laughter and moments of joy even in the midst of grief and sorrow.
There's a bishop in the Diocese of Western North Carolina named José McLoughlin. And Bishop José has, for the last five or six weeks, been publishing on YouTube, Quarantine with Bishop José. It will bring some gladness, some laughter, some sense of joy even in the midst of this difficult time of pandemic. That there is a time to weep, as Ecclesiastes says, and there's a time to laugh. So, maybe a little exercise for this week will be to go to YouTube, find Quarantine with Bishop José, and add that or something else to your list of things that bring gladness.
God love you. God bless you. And you keep the faith. |
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