RELIGION: Heal us

Jesus asked a chronically sick man at the pool of Bethesda a "yes" or "no" question. "Do you want to be healed?" (John 5:6). The man launched into a lengthy response laced with excuses. Jesus listened and then healed the man that never said yes or no. A "yes" would have radically changed his life. A "no" would maintain the status quo of his life. Sometimes the obvious "yes" may not be so easy when we are faced with a radical change in our comfort zones.

I believe that today, after over 250,000 Americans have died from covid-19 and another 50,000 are predicted to die by January 1, as a nation we have come face-to-face with the question Jesus posed, "Do you want to be healed?" To be healed we all must face our new reality. We can't go back to life before covid-19. A simple yes to the CDC guidelines by all of us could save lives. A "yes" to hand washing, wearing a face covering, social distancing and gatherings of ten or fewer have proven to reduce infections. And yesterday, we were advised to wait until next year for the traditional Thanksgiving family reunion. Can we make sacrifices for our neighbors or will some continue to say no to the CDC guidelines and risk infecting or being infected by strangers or by those we love? The hospitals are overflowing, and winter hasn't forced us inside yet.

We all have our favorite activities, restaurants, and family outings that we can no longer do. Covid-19 has caused many places to close their doors to face-to-face activities, including churches. St. Thomas in Springdale opened for a limited number of outside worshipers but, after the covid-19 surges, which directly impacted parishioners, we have resumed virtual worship.

The impact of covid-19 has forced the world to change the way we live, but we have been down the path for a while. We have slipped into the mistaken notion that "my freedoms" is a "singular" precept. I am free to do what I want to do without regard to you or the community. This sense of entitlement runs deep and can cause serious wounds. Our nation (all of us) needs healing.

Before covid-19, our family went to Branson. The route was primarily on two-lane highways with marginal shoulders and ditches of various depths. I was surprised to see a sign in Missouri warning motorists that it was illegal to pass on the right. But, only a few miles down the road was a similar sign and tire tracks in and out of the ditch!

My mind flashed back to Bella Vista and our nice paved shoulders on I-49. I take the boys to school. We have seen the shoulders used for changing tires, cars with mechanical problems, and one day a frantic mom pulling over to the shoulder and with hazards lights blinking extracted a sick child from the car just in the nick of time! The why of highway shoulders.

Frequently, I witnessed vehicles passing on the right on the shoulder! The drivers are in a hurry to get to McDonald's, Lowe's, or Starbucks. Their claim to individual rights is visible; yet, there is a potential for serious accidents.

The covid-19 virus has highlighted our attitudes and tragic events that were already occurring but were under the radar or were not things that didn't catch our attention because we were so busy and in a hurry.

There are written prayers for national healing. The one that caught my attention prays: Lord, we pray for holistic healing and the restoration of this nation: where there's hate, grant us love. Where there's despair, give us hope. Where there's division, grant us unity. Where there's chaos, give us peace. Where there's isolation, grant us community. Where there's sin, give us repentance. Where there's retaliation, grant us forgiveness. Where there is vengeance, grant us reconciliation. Amen

May God heal us and bless us one and all.

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Ken Parks is the former rector of St. Theodore's Episcopal Church in Bella Vista. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.