A Treasure To Be Shared

John 15:18-19 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. The world hates Christians; the world hates Catholics most of all. There is little threat to the progressive (socialist? liberal?) agenda from nice Episcopalians/Anglicans or from the congenial United Church of Canada (the NDP at prayer) and its Lutheran bedfellows. Sadly, those groups have drunk the Kool-Aid of religion-lite, the same bitter cocktail being served up in too many Catholic parishes.
gut·ter /ˈɡədər/ verb past tense: guttered; past participle: guttered (of a candle or flame) flicker and burn unsteadily. "the candles had almost guttered out"
Dom Cingoranelli at Catholic Stand has written “Nonessential” Churches – What’s Next?, a concise analysis of the status quo and a rejection of complacency that asks readers to exert…

"A problem shared is a problem halved."

The pandemic is testing people's resiliency. For many, present circumstances have overwhelmed their capacity to adapt. The tight and wearied faces of people, whether lined up to shop for groceries or wandering aimlessly, hint that a significant number of folk are finding it difficult to cope with adversity. Many faces tell a story of resignation and fear. Physical distancing and economic paralysis are, for many, a wall. That wall is part of a prison complex. There is no key to unlock its gate. Little light reaches into its cells. Solitary confinement is prescribed for all, or so it seems at times.

Acts 12:6-11
So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the…

Amy Banks, MD, at Psychology Today, has written a concise and balanced article entitled Social vs. Physical Distancing: Why It Matters. She writes:
Social distancing, as it has been presented, can feel like that. In fact, in my work with trauma survivors during this time, I have heard people describe feeling trapped and threatened again. That is not sustainable. Becoming socially isolated may keep the majority of us alive, but not well.
By naming the national strategy as physical distancing rather than social distancing and emphasizing the need for human connection, we can stay safe from the virus but also hold onto the heightened need we all have for one another right now.
Dr. Banks acknowledges what this blogger and many others have shared:
The few times I have ventured out to a grocery store or for a walk around my neighborhood, I've seen people not only keeping distant from one another but also seeming afraid. They pass each other on the street or in a store without looking …

'It': 1) constructive living and a healthy society; 2) an alternative to indifference and barbarism.
manners (n.) external behavior (especially polite behavior) in social intercourse, late 14c., plural of manner in a specific sense of proper behavior, commendable habits of conduct (c. 1300). Earlier it meant "moral character" (early 13c.). For all the talk of a 'new norm', there are few details about it and much myopic blathering by wannabe pundits who seem far too eager to acquire another 15 minutes of fame at the expense of clarity and reason. Let's investigate the 'new norm', shall we, as some are anticipating will characterize the post-covid19 experience.

Non-prediction

What is the 'new norm'? Who... can say? No, not the WHO, i.e., the World Health Organization that in the early stages parroted China's dubious narrative that the Virus could not jump from animals to humans, or from humans to humans, but then joined the chorus of res…