I have some thoughts I'd been pondering after my trip out to the store yesterday. The Scripture that came to my mind was Matthew 24:12 where our Lord warns us:
"...and because lawlessness shall prevail, the love of many shall grow cold..."
What had dawned upon me, especially yesterday after my trip to the store, is how there's another scary by-product of COVID-19 that's largely at work: A culture of coldness and sterility among fellow people.
Consider...
CDC recommends:
Face masks (people cannot smile anymore - our outward symbols of warmth and affection have been put to a halt, even among family members).
Social distancing of 6' - (keeping away from others)
Limit interaction (literally saw this posted in a store as the CDC 'guidelines'). Because of this pressure, we feel awkward to "get too close" to anyone. Fear of others has been conditioned in us. (Whether fear to " "spread the virus" or fear of catching something)
Most of our human, face-to-face interaction has become virtual.
The "stay-at-home" orders and the need to "self-isolate" being propogandized to the point of being nauseating.
Banned church gatherings - any large crowd gatherings really....But abortion is still an "essential service" and you can go to a store where there's plenty of other people.
This is de-humanizing and demoralizing.
But if we consider history, does this not breed a perfect generation to employ persecution "for good reasons" because this necessary human affection, warmth, joy, interaction is being destroyed through a subtle sterility and coldness that's being employed?
Just some thoughts we need to consider.
We need love and affection, more than health. We do. Health is not our ultimate end - LOVE is! God is love! Jesus Christ is love incarnate! We were not born for this world! This world is not our home! Our culture is dieing from a lack of love, not this virus - TRUE love as ordained by God & HIS law, not the law of this current world.
How bizarre that wearing a MASK (which even the US Surgeon General has said is ineffective) is a (seeming) "LAW" - punishable if not followed almost nationwide?
I hope I am wrong, but I think this will be our new norm. We already see "predictions" from our experts of this lasting for at least a year, maybe two.... maybe more?
In the meantime, as this culture continues to follow the "guidelines" and stay away from each other - putting almost to a halt true human interaction, warmth and affection - what will continue to be displayed to us is the wickedness and evil in our world through the mass media. ...But we won't have the "incarnational" love to combat it.
Don't believe me? Check out Wuhan post-virus right now. They literally sit with dividers between each other at the cafeteria tables in their workplaces now. They're being isolated from each other more and more through various "health measures."
Update: We see as of August that this is an optional set-up for those returning to work and school.
Christ is God incarnate! The Word became flesh. So too, our love MUST be incarnate - given in and through our bodies.
But what are we replacing it with? A pseudo-love and unity. The devil uses counterfeits of the things God created because Satan is sterile himself - he can't create anything. "We're in this together" we hear propagandized through commercials and stores... but yet, in reality, we're being kept apart. Dr. Fauci confirmed it's ok to visit sex partners if you really "need" it and "you're aware of the risks"...yet meanwhile states are on lockdown and the rest of society can't make their own decisions to work themselves or choose how exactly they'd like to respond to the situation, given input of experts. Ironically, the freedom of decision only applies if you want to meet a stranger and have sex. Ludicrous! Illogical! Unreasonable! Anyone who knows a thing or two about spiritual warfare also knows the devil loves to work through isolation as well.
This is all eerie and strange...We're meeting virtually now, not in the flesh. Interaction with people in day-to-day life largely kept at bay. We have plexy-glass separating people at the registers. We replace true hugs with emoji's to show our "care." Absurd! This "dis-incarnational" world-wide orchestrated approach is all diabolical at its origin, regardless of the sincere intentions of some implementing and enforcing these draconian health measures. A culture of coldness!
I'm not saying that prudent and wise health measures aren't necessary at times. But is this proportionate? What is at work here?
We need not fear though.
We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
If we remain open to the Lord and seek to use everything around us as a means of drawing us closer to Him, we WILL triumph. This is a great article on how God made saints of others "forced into isolation." Let us see everything as coming from the Divine Hand of God - even the evil He permisses, for the sanctification of our souls. God can use EVERYTHING to draw good out of it and sanctify us because He is all-powerful....IF we will let ourselves be molded by His Hands. Let Him mold you and shape you and chisel you through everything happening around us - whether we like it or not. God is all-powerful! Let Him be glorified in and through you in all of this!
Just some thoughts I had. Let's continue to pray for repentance - in ourselves and others. This is the change we need. This is really the only thing that will save us from all of this and give us complete peace and interior freedom - TRUE freedom - in the midst of growing chaos, uncertainty and exterior oppression.
Have you left the practice of your Catholic faith? Have you put God on the backburner? It is time to return and re-learn the liberating life God intended you to truly live!
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