Pandemic Fatigue is Real and Dangerous in Italy

 I watched a reality show on Friday called, "My Big Italian Adventure," starring American actress, Lorraine Bracco who bought a 200 year old home in Italy for about $1.00....and she renovated it, with the help of an architect and contractor.  There will be three more episodes. She bought the $1.00 house and the house next door to create a larger Sicilian home for her family, as a vacation home.  Small towns throughout Italy have been selling dilapidated homes for about $1.00 in an effort to get people to invest in their towns and beautify them.  It's an interesting idea and there are plenty of people willing to buy a home for a $1.00,  put down a $5,000 deposit and agree to finish the renovation within three years (or you lose the house and deposit).

Italy is a special place and I hope to return one day. I've made two trips there as an adult and there is no place quite like it. My grandfather came to the U.S. from Italy in 1925, and since my roots are there, there is a certain pull towards Italy.

Unfortunately, Italians are going through a great trial, another great trial, as the coronavirus is once again surging in Italy. Italians are not happy. Like most of us, they have pandemic and lockdown fatigue. We are all sick of it, this virus from Hell. You can't blame them, however some people are resorting to violent protests. In Naples, Italy, protesters set garbage cans on fire and protested because some cities are imposing restrictions and curfews again. Tourism is devastated and people are losing their jobs and incomes at alarming rates. Restaurants are suffering. Who can live like this? So tragic. As one restaurant owner was quoted as saying, "The money is gone." 

Everyday I pray for an end to this pandemic and a safe, effective vaccine as soon as possible, like millions of others are doing.  During this pandemic I have tried to be more charitable and have been doing more to help, "the poorest of the poor." That has given me focus and something constructive to do. We are all dealing with this unthinkable situation in our own way. But there is some hope. Fewer people are dying from the coronavirus, as doctors do have more therapeutics and medicines to give. There is a glimmer of hope that this will soon be behind us. 

"Hope is not an option for a Christian but essential to our faith." Whoever said that was a wise Christian!

NJA

Swiss Guards Test Positive For Covid-Pope Francis Needs To Be Careful

 Pope Francis needs to be careful. With eleven Swiss guards testing positive for the coronavirus and more testing to take place, it is certain there are others who will test positive. I pray the one guard who stands outside the door where Pope Francis stays at the Santa Marta guesthouse, is not positive. (Or the others who have had that shift.)

The Pope has so many challenges to deal with. He's trying so hard to straighten out the Curia, no easy task. There is a deadly, invisible virus, lurking all around him. Cases are trending up throughout Europe, unfortunately. The Pope should be careful, because of his age-83 and because he has another preexisting condition, a part of his lung was removed when he was young. Then he has all the stress he has to deal with. 

Maybe he should retire soon, as Pope Benedict did. It's all too much for an 83 year old to deal with in my opinion. Pope Benedict set a precedent for it, so it wouldn't be so shocking. 

May the Holy Spirit guide him and the Church through these unusual and stressful times we are living through.

NJA

Diocese of Rockville Centre, Long Island, NY Files for Bankruptcy

 On the Feast of St. Therese, the Little Flower, a much loved saint and Doctor of the Church, in a year that has been surreal so far, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Long Island, NY filed for bankruptcy. It's a sad day for Long Island Catholics. The Diocese apparently didn't have a choice, given they were facing over 200 lawsuits related to sexual abuse allegations. Seeking financial protection, the Diocese had few options. 

Rockville Centre is the largest diocese in the U.S.A. to declare bankruptcy. A video presentation prepared by the Bishop, Bishop John Barres, which I watched, stated, "the diocese was not going to be able to carry out its spiritual, charitable and educational missions because of the increasing burden of litigation expenses." How sad. How did it come to this? It's mind-boggling. 

I feel sorry for Bishop Barres. I get the impression from watching Mass on the Catholic Faith Network, and listening to his homilies, that he cares deeply for the Church,  he wants so much for there to be dramatic missionary growth on Long Island, and he's faced with this crisis. I feel sorry for the victims of sexual abuse. I feel sorry for all those who put their trust in religious leaders and are now disappointed and deeply hurt.  

It's a sad day on Long Island. It's a sad year with the tragic pandemic causing havoc. Bishop Barres mentioned the pandemic as not helping the situation. 

Today the Scripture reading that struck me from the gospel was, "The Kingdom of God is at hand." We need the Kingdom of God to manifest. 

NJA

A Pandemic, Wildfires, Floods, Creeping Hurricanes and Birds Falling From The Sky

As Christians we are suppose to be people of hope. Our Christian religion is built upon hope, hope in the resurrection of Christ who opened for us a path to salvation and the Father. So I hate to be negative, but these are unprecedented times we are living through.  How can one ignore the signs of the times? If this isn't the start of the end times, what would that look like? (I certainly hope that is not the case and maybe once we get a safe, effective vaccine for the coronavirus things will seem "normal" again.)  

Climate change deniers had better wake up. Climate change is exacerbating the wildfires in the West. Warmer temperatures, drought conditions, wind events are all helping to fuel the fires. Yes, there have always been wildfires in the West, but not to this degree of destruction.

And then there was the slow moving hurricane Sally which did so much destruction in the Panhandle of Florida and the coast of Alabama. The hurricane was moving about as fast as we can walk, which made the flooding worse...also attributed to climate change. 

Pope Francis keeps trying to warn us. Climate scientists keep trying to warn us. But some human beings still don't get it. They think it's a hoax. Pope Francis knows better. Ask the people in California who barely escaped the flames, they didn't have time to get any possessions. So sad. 

Then the craziest story I read was about birds (thousands, maybe millions, of them) literally falling from the sky in New Mexico, to their death.  It's happening in other states as well. Scientists don't know if its related to the wildfires out West, but its affecting migratory birds. Time will tell what happened to them. 

I hope God has a plan to save us from ourselves. Because we don't. 

NJA

The Partying Goes On....Some College Students Still Don't Get It

 It's dismaying to read that SUNY Oneonta had to cancel in person classes less than two weeks after classes started because nearly 400 students contracted the coronavirus. It seems a few students threw parties even when they were not suppose to. They just couldn't wait, no matter what....a pandemic?  We won't get seriously ill, so they thought.  So sad. Five students were suspended because they organized those parties. But there were plenty of students who attended those parties, even knowing that it didn't make good sense and they could contract a serious disease. 

Sounds like science fiction. Students who tested positive were told they had to leave their dorms, some in the middle of the night , teary-eyed, being escorted by people in hazmat suits. 

And it's not only happening in upstate NY. Plenty of other campuses, who've just opened, are having problems controlling their students, who just have to party. The party must go on, regardless of the consequences. Nationwide this is a problem, with outbreaks on campuses in Georgia, Texas and Iowa. Even the University of Notre Dame, couldn't convince students that the partying had to wait.

It seems some students are not wearing masks, they are not social distancing, and they cannot resist gathering on and off campus for socialization. 

Dr. Deborah Birx, said at a news conference that students should isolate in their colleges if infected with Covid-19. "Do not return home if you're positive and spread the virus to your family, your aunts, uncles and grandparents."

But in many cases, that's not happening. Concerned parents are picking up their kids and bringing them home. (I probably would have done the same.) Hopefully they're isolating at home, but their families are still being exposed.

I wonder, if students were all tested before going onto the campuses? Were they told how serious the situation was? Were they warned sufficiently? Were the consequences of ignoring the rules not to party or gather in large groups made crystal clear? I tend to doubt it. 

I pray for a safe, effective vaccine as soon as possible, so we can all get our lives back. Please God enlighten those seeking the vaccine and cure. After all, the party must go on.

NJA

"When The Hell Is This Going To Stop?"

That question was the last sentence in a New York Times article describing a ferocious wind event (known as a derecho) which destroyed crops in the Corn Belt of Iowa. As people hid in their basements they knew it would be bad, but it was worse than they imagined. "Many across the Corn Belt of central Iowa were stunned by what they saw: millions of acres of corn and soybean fields left toppled, tangled and torn apart; roofs ripped off grain bins; buildings leveled......." (New York Times 8/16/20). 

So what's going on? Seems like this is the year from Hell but good things are happening too.....my second granddaughter was born in August so there are blessed events still happening. Thank God for that! But we are messing with Mother Nature and though there have always been storms, wildfires, pandemics and civil unrest, we human beings can be careless, selfish, greedy and full of pride and that has consequences. We've been warned over and over again in the Bible, but people continue to live as if everything is fine. 

There needs to be more respect for Nature, for the effects that climate change can bring if we continue to be wasteful and careless. Are the days of reckoning upon us? Is this a year to wake us up?

Fr. Donald Haggerty, a priest of the Archdiocese of NY, gave a stirring homily yesterday at St. Patrick's Cathedral,  on the evil that is present in the world. He called out evil as he should be. (It was not about climate change, just to clarify.) Yes we are living in evil days, but good will win the day. We have the victory through Christ, but we all have to do our part to make this a better world and realize climate change is real and has consequences.

NJA

Taking the Name of the Lord in Vain-Not Pleasing To God-Like So Much Else

 Sometimes when I'm watching a movie and one of the actors as part of the script takes the name of the Lord in vain or worse, I always think this is not pleasing to God. Not only is it not pleasing but it breaks one of the Ten Commandments which states, "You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain." It's disrespectful.

The Holy Name of Jesus is often used in vain and worse in movies and books and in some idle conversations.  Again this is disrespectful. 

The Ten Commandments are of importance to both Judaism and Christianity. The Ten Commandments appear twice in the Hebrew Scriptures, once in The Book of Exodus (20:2-17) and in Deuteronomy (5:6-17). If only people would pay attention to the commandments, listen and live their lives according to these biblical principles, it would be a much better world. We would also give glory to God by doing so.

But people in the modern world, aren't paying attention, many think the Ten Commandments are ancient, outdated rules. But that's not true. 

I'm not sure why I'm bringing this up, perhaps it's the Spirit but I like many are discouraged by what is going on in the world. Besides the horrific pandemic, whose origins can be traced to greed, pride and selfishness, there are other problems. There seems to be a break-down of civility, a break-down of living justly, virtuously and righteously. 

New York City is where I was born and lived most of my life. I love the city, its a unique place. And yet I hear stories of the decline of the city. Not only because of the pandemic, but also because of an uptick in shootings and crime. This should not be. Rules are needed, rules keep order. 

We are living through strange times. I hope and pray, people realize that biblical truths and commandments are still relevant today. I hope screen writers will stop using the name of the Lord in vain in scripts they write (it's not necessary). I hope people wake up, see what's happening and try to turn things around.

NJA