A MODERN DAY PARABLE

If Jesus came to our world he may have told a parable like this:

“A terrible sickness struck a village. The people were terrified of getting sick and wanted to know what to do. The doctor asked people to wear face masks to protect one another. We will they said. Some did for a while, but they found the masks uncomfortable, and made it difficult to breathe, so they soon stopped wearing them.

“The rabbi asked the people to share their food with the poor and sick. We will they promised. But many became more and more concerned for their own needs and that of their families, so they kept their barns and larders full and locked.

“The mayor asked the merchants to close their shops and innkeepers to close their taverns so people would not gather and spread the sickness. We will they all agreed. They did so for a few days, but their profits dropped, and they could not pay their help, so slowly, one by one, they quietly reopened.

“Soon, the sickness took the lives of many in the poor village.

“But then there were good folk who understood that wearing face masks protected others from the sickness, who kept their distance from one another so the sickness would not spread, who readily shared what they had with those who had little. Oh, it was very hard, and there were many days when they wanted to give up. But they persevered.

“Because of them, many people did not get sick and survived.

“Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear,” Jesus may have said.

This story from Connections, published by Media Works for this weekend, is reminiscent of what we have been through. It is difficult and uncomfortable wearing a mask. It is hard to be separated from friends and loved ones. It always takes a great effort to be kind and charitable. We must continue with these directives for the very near future.

Even though people complain about them they have been proven to work. Where they are not being followed, Covid19 has spiked. It is a lesson for us not to let down our guard just yet.