Posted originally on the CTH on April 27, 2024 | Menagerie 

Random thoughts, in no order of importance. Just letting the brain wander unchecked. Therefore, you should proceed with the warning that we aren’t going anywhere specific in this post, and there will be no logic to the progression and presentation of ideas.

I listened to a podcast this morning. First, the primary topic was a defining moment for the early Church, when the actions of Christians profoundly impacted the world around them, through their self giving and life saving actions during a time of plague. Many gave up their own lives to save others.

A severe plague hit the Roman Empire from about 249-262. It might actually have been several diseases. Many of the pagan citizens of the empire were abandoning even their own families in fear of getting sick. Some put their loved ones, still living, out into the streets. Others fled the cities, leaving behind family who had been stricken.

There is a letter left behind by St. Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, whose city lost more than half its population. He says, “Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of the danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains.”

In a book called The Rise of Christianity, sociologist Rodney Stark devotes a chapter on epidemics and their impact on evangelization. First, the way Christians cared for one another would have given them a much higher survival rate, then survivors would have immunity and be able to care for more people.

But imagine the cultural transformation. Your family and friends abandoned you, but Christian strangers took you in and cared for you, at great cost to themselves. These observations are taken from the Hallow app, today’s Easter challenge. Pretty profound thoughts on the power of living out our faith.

An additional thought on this podcast. The introduction includes a statement about the labor of so many medical professionals in a “flurry” to save the lives of their patients, and society coming to a halt, in spite of science, modern medicine, and 21st century technology.

I am not speaking about all healthcare professionals, of course, but I just want to say that I am appalled by the number who did not act in the best interest of their patients. Many, most even, in my opinion, succumbed to the dictates of the government and pharmaceutical companies. The well-being and lives of patients were far from the top priority of the medical profession. That’s all I have to say about that, but I do wish we could stop pretending about what happened and the motivations.

Money mattered. Lives only to a few unusual people who really cared.

On to totally unrelated topics. My husband and I have recently been enjoying British television. We really can understand only about half the dialogue, depending on which show we’re watching. We get most of Fr. Brown, and not even half of Shetland. Volume does not help, and neither does replay. Short of seeing if there is closed captioning, does anyone have any tips for how to understand these various British accents? I really like the shows a lot better than almost everything American.

Next topic. I doubt seriously this applies to anyone who is reading here, but I’m saying it anyhow. Parents, if your son or daughter is involved in the anti-Israel demonstrations and “Palestinian “ support actions on campuses, you need to take drastic action and cut off any financial support. You’re breeding terrorists. The End.

Mothers especially, you are sheltering your kids, and most especially your sons, way too much. Life is hard. If even childhood is so protected that children face no adversity, they cannot find and develop their own strengths and resilience. Teenagers especially must faces struggles, and yes, defeats. Do not pick them up, do not clear the way. Above all else, never stand between them and the consequences of their actions and bad decisions.

You see their childhoods as the short, magical time you have to enjoy them. That’s true. But it is also true that it’s the short time you have to teach them to survive in a brutal world. Your basement when they are in their thirties is like putting your cub in a cage in the zoo. It’s not life.

What you’re doing when they are kids, and especially teens, is determining to a huge extent how successfully they will navigate life. Forever. Parents did not used to be so frantically overprotective. It is not kindness, or responsible parenting.

I have a shirt that says Life isn’t easy. Life isn’t perfect. Life is good.

I like that philosophy. Manage expectations, for you, and for your kids. Teach them to appreciate the little and the big things. Teach them you actually can be okay, and most of the time, even happy, in the face of adversity.

Okay, that’s my disconnected jumble of thoughts for the day. Your turn.