In the midst of July.

This was another week of feeling really good. Only fifteen minutes spent in the cancer center for a blood draw. That revealed that my sodium level was back in the normal range. It is just possible that we’ve hit upon the right balance of medication. 

The planter in the center of the front garden.

Next week will be another week of chemotherapy. I can’t complain. When a friend asked me today if I needed a ride. I thanked him and said that I drove myself. The reply was “you must be made of teflon!”  God has been good to me in allowing me to get through the process with very few side effects.

I have to admire Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She is undergoing chemotherapy for yet another cancer and still keeps up her normal work load. She is a truly remarkable woman. Considering what she has been through and the criticism she often receives from those who disagree with her and the way she holds her head high in spite of all that, there are many others in the top level of government who could learn from her. They whimper and cry and lash out at the least criticism inventing all kinds of excuses for the poor job they have done. 

I wrote last week about my irritation at those who refuse to wear masks. One of my friends posted this week that seat belt laws are in place and enforced almost everywhere. How are those laws different than the requirement to wear masks? Seat belts are proven to save lives. In the automobile accidents reported in the daily paper when deaths are reported therefrom it usually says “was not wearing a seatbelt.” Will we never learn? 

The ivy geranium gone bonkers!

The cry continues to go up “don’t infringe upon my rights.” Sorry folks but none of you are allowed in the store naked. You have to wear clothes. Evidently your rights are continually being infringed upon. “No shirt, no shoes, no service” doesn’t seem to cause great numbers of people to holler about their rights. Yet people become enraged to the point of physical violence over the reminder to wear a mask. Really!

One of the vows Episcopalians take at their baptism is to “seek and serve Christ is all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself.” Today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 12:14-21) gives us an example of Jesus going on to seek and serve in spite of those working against him. “When the Pharisees were outside they began to plot against Jesus to find a way to destroy him. Jesus was aware of this, and so he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him and he cured them all…”

The reading from Micah (Micah 2:1-5) could be speaking of some of today’s persons in authority: “Woe to those who plan iniquity, and work out evil on their couches; In the morning light they accomplish it when it lies within their power…”

One of my favorite places to go for meditation is a series of daily reflections on the readings by the faculty and staff of Creighton University. In 2018 Joe Zabroroski, the Director of Purchasing wrote: “Today’s readings and the psalms scream for justice. Both the Old Testament reading and the psalms portray the wicked as overbearing in their drive for possessions and power. This is not much different than today. Human nature is human nature.

So the question to myself is, what am I doing personally to fight injustice when I see it? This has changed over time for me. An occasional stop at a homeless shelter, joining a rally, serving on a parish committee or dropping a few dollars for a cause is no longer enough.

Not that these aren’t honorable endeavors. I had to change and put myself face to face with another human being who was suffering. I was confronted by this reality when I read about the Papal Almsgiver; Father Konrad Krajewski. When Pope Francis met him he told Fr. Konrad 'You can sell your desk. You don’t need it. You need to get out of the Vatican. Don’t wait for people to come ringing. You need to go out and look for the poor.'

So a recalibration in my thought process took place. Involvement was needed to answer the scream for justice. Jesus’s example in the Gospel was to not make himself known ‘until he brings justice to victory.’ Amen Alleluia.”

Once again the preacher has no pulpit!

Thanks for reading, for prayers and thoughts and visits. Have a good week.

Oh! Is this the book you wanted to read?