Holy Friday In The Upside Down.#Coronavirus Edition

 Today is Holy, or " Good " Friday.  It is the day that Christians commemorate  Jesus Christ's death and burial.  It is a day where the world turned " upside down". People are hunkering down in their homes-- church services are livestreamed, and everyone wears a facemask to get groceries and other essentials. 

  To me, and many others, life in a pandemic is a continual " Good Friday." Life seems pointless and mundane-- and the tiniest efforts to tend to one's physical needs such as food, bathing, and sleep require a huge effort. 

  We cannot trust what the government's top leaders tell us on the evening news, and  rites of passage are suspended for a time. People are not marrying, or being honored by a Celebration of Life. Members of the Class of 2020  {both high schools and colleges } will not see graduates enjoy a well- earned graduation ceremony. Gatherings with family and friends are now reduced to " drive through " parties-- with people staying a safe distance in their vehicles. 

  Yup-- we are stuck in The Upside Down-- a long Good Friday. In order to stay safe, we humans are entombing ourselves in our homes. Some of us are dealing with " Upside Down Life better than others. For people with any kind of trauma in the past--  saving others will come at a greater cost to themselves. People who have suffered through major natural disasters, veterans with military combat PTSD , and those { such as myself} who had an experience being trapped in our bodies due to medical issues are not okay. 

 Being stuck in " Good Friday" indefinitely scares me. Although Christians know that the liturgical " good Friday will lead to Easter--- this weird existence in The Upside Down is prolonging the Triduum. This lack of knowledge of  when this journey will end with Easter is scary. People are hiding from the enemy in their own Upper Rooms, afraid to venture away from the safety of the nest. 

 None of this is natural 

 My prayers is that we all pull through this mess with as little collateral damage from our time in The Upside Down as possible. I pray for all those for whom quarantine means that brains play tricks on their health. 

  I pray for Easter. 

  Amen. 

  Sarah