19 March 2021

It has been heartening to hear how many of our parishioners have received their vaccinations. Even many of our younger parishioners have been vaccinated due to their work. I receive my second vaccination next week. The good news is that as more people are vaccinated, all of us become safer.

Some of you have related that you feel guilty for receiving the vaccine before others. Some of you have mentioned how you thought you might wait to get vaccinated so that others, who may be more vulnerable, may receive the vaccine earlier. I am told that this is not how the ethics of vaccinating works. Simply put, if you have the opportunity to receive the vaccine, you should. By receiving the vaccine, you help create the wall that minimizes future illness for all of society. Each one of us must do our part to create herd immunity.

If last Sunday was Refreshment Sunday, this coming Sunday has been called Passion Sunday. We just enjoyed some refreshment before the calendar plunges us into the pain, sacrifice, and humiliation of Jesus Christ. Now we become singularly focused on the death of Jesus Christ leading to Easter. A priest friend refers to the 5th Sunday in Lent as “deep lent.” In some churches it is this Sunday that the crosses and statues are veiled; signs of the resurrection are hidden from us for now.

Getting jabbed in the arm is hardly painful and humiliating, but there has been much death in our society due to the pandemic. I look forward to receiving my second shot, and I am grateful that it is a small sacrifice of time and effort to do so. Nevertheless, each one of us, when we get vaccinated, is doing our little part to move our society toward Easter. As always Christ did the hard work on the cross. We only have the inconvenience of scheduling and attending appointments. As we look forward to Easter, we give thanks for the progress of science and the sacrifices of our God. This concert of faith and science is truly remarkable to behold, and we are so fortunate to each perform our little part in this great drama of life.

Father Paul Lillie +