The 13th century Anchoress, Julian of Norwich, said at one of the darkest times in European history, “All will be well and all will be well, and every kind of thing shall be well.” At the time she uttered this statement, the Black Death (Bubonic plague) was wiping out close to a third of the human population throughout all of Europe. Nations were at war. Death reigned. Yet, she made this statement all the same. This statement of hers is not overstated sentimentality of simplistic optimism. Rather, it acknowledges that in the midst of the blunders caused by humanity in which death, destruction and darkness seemingly overwhelms us, an alternative reality is really present.
I was watching Ken Burns documentary on World War II. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is heard stating to the citizens of the United States at about the time of the Battle of the Bulge, that it was hard for him to greet the nation with the words, “Merry Christmas.” This was especially so when all the world was encased in darkness, war, and horrible death. Yet, he persisted to say, that while it seemed almost impossible to say the word “merry” in relation to Christmas, it was needed to be stated, especially for all the soldiers who were in the midst of the fighting and destruction. The whole notion of a “Merry Christmas” is the hope to which they cling.
We are presently living in a world that is topsy-turvy. We have a president, an administration and a Congress that is very comfortable about issuing lies one after another. There are so many lies uttered by all involved that we do not know who to believe or what to believe. The world is on the brink of nuclear annihilation, so much so, that we are almost at the point of the Cuban Missile Crisis of the early ’60’s. The Congress is about to make into law a tax bill that will impoverish most of the middle class, destitute the elderly, and annihilate the poor, taking away, health care and all the other safety nets provided by the government, in order to please and enrich those who are already incredibly wealthy and who wish to control everything. All the protections put in place to remove the poisons in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land in which we plant our crops, has been stripped away by presidential decree or by presidential dupes. Not one living thing is safe anymore, anywhere.
It is tough enough for people to tolerate this time of natural darkness, at least in the northern hemisphere. To add on top of the personal losses suffered by people, these governmental assaults on humanity by the very people who were elected to serve us and protect us, can push people to the very brink of the abyss of despair. How can one believe the words that Julian of Norwich uttered so many, many years ago? It is very tempting instead to follow the advice of the 1960’s drug guru, Dr. Timothy Leary, to “turn on, tune in, and drop out.”
In the scriptural reading from the prophet Isaiah (41: 13-20) from this past Thursday’s Mass, God speaks at the very beginning of the reading, ‘” I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; I is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”‘ This is the true reality of which Julian of Norwich experienced. This is the true reality the soldiers sensed as the Battle of the Bulge raged around them. The bottom line is this, trump, mcconnell, ryan, and all the other destructive forces that are presently in Washington D.C. and the rest of the world will not prevail. They are not the ones who are truly in charge. Ultimately, they will have to answer to the LORD God, who IS in charge, for all the sins of greed they are exacting upon our nation at this time. They will have to answer to the LORD God for all the lies they are spreading, and all the false creeds they espouse.
It is in the LORD God that our trust is anchored. If our trust remains anchored in the LORD God, the present powers will be vanquished and God’s justice will prevail. “All IS well, and all IS well, and every kind of thing SHALL be well!”
