I drive myself twice a month to get groceries. Mostly homebound since March 7, 2020 since the #CoronaVirus pandemic.
My first day out to do groceries with my hubby was a nerve-wracking hour. I gradually relaxed after a few more errands, and after seeing folks with masks.
Today, I braved going to the produce market by myself to get my celery stalks for juicing. I even trained Carmen, the store owner, how to select mostly green stalks and not those turning white and gives metallic taste. She and I became friends today, exchanging information about dragon fruit and gooseberries.
I ventured some more this morning and took photos of the torn down Berlin Wall and opposite, the torn down LACMA building.
What a waste to see crumbling structures, without much thought given to demolishing them in Los Angeles and without regard on what to preserve. Unlike the East Coast where there is reverence to preserve century old buildings, the bulldozers are mightily taking down buildings in L.A. LACMA is no exception.
It became another heartbreak to cap yesterday’s losses: a closing of a well-acclaimed restaurant (Ma’am Sir), the death of a very talented, young actor, Chadwick Boseman, from colon cancer. He gave us power, strength and positive Black examples of heroes: the King of Wakanda, Jackie Robinson and Justice Thurgood Marshall. We saw his enviable power and strength onscreen which belied his inner pain and sufferings for 4 years, from cancer.
Of course, the gospel of today talks about not of the triumphalist Lord, but the suffering path of Jesus.
I loved what Fr. Randy Odchigue reminded us: “When we follow Jesus, we have to learn how to weather storms. It is a lesson of distinguishing what’s a costly discipleship vs. cheap discipleship (preaching forgiveness without repentance, grace without Cross of Jesus Christ). Our God paid a steep price when His Son’s life was given up to redeem us. Do not cheapen God’s commitment to us.”
I believe he is talking about moral alignment, perhaps the lesson all of us in America and around the world must learn. In America, we preach equality under the law but, as a nation, we have not learned to fully value and love Blacks, as our fellow American citizens who sacrificed bodies, limbs, blood, sweat and tears to build the American economy and to give us voting rights. Do we value their sacrifices by exercising our right to vote? Or do we cheapen this right by voting the con man into office, who promises us fortune? Do we not invest the requisite efforts of research to find the best President and by our vote, install decency, fairness, truth, and justice in the federal government?
Fr. Randy described how human beings have intelligence quotient, emotional intelligence and, adversity quotient. When a cross presents to us, a challenge, do we leave our sense of pride, our sense of security, our comfort zones to sacrifice, to make the requisite effort to demonstrate fidelity to discipleship to the Lord?
“Do we keep doing what’s right, despite incurring the ire of other people? Do we stay loyal to God despite being mocked? Do we become counter-cultural that when everyone is being judgmental of others, judging folks according to their bank accounts, do we do what is right and do we act according to the ethics of Jesus?”, he asked.
“Our religion will be judged on the authenticity of our discipleship, on the ethics of our discipleship, rather than the cultist practices, the rituals, but on how we exercise critical reflexibility in bringing happiness, joy and peace to others,” he said.
My Saturday and Sunday seem complete now after helping two small businesses and a self – employed friend – cooking for her, while she and I exchanged spiritual nuggets of wisdom. Her wisdom, imparted: “When you find yourself down, say, Lord, help me think of You more.”