Normal, What is It?

For nearly two months now we've been hearing the terms, "the new normal" and "returning to normal." It seems that no matter where we look: jobs, school, finances, eating establishments, sporting events, attending Mass, receiving the Sacraments, attending wedding and funerals, and on, and on, and on…none of those are no longer "normal." 

But really, what is normal?? As humans, we tend to measure things through the lens of our experiences, our knowledge, and our timeframe.  We might tell someone that compared to "normal" we had a "wet" or "dry" summer, but the big granite boulders we see in our countryside attest to the fact that about 12,000 years ago "normal" was most of our state being covered with a glacier.  It's "normal' for the price of gas to go up at the start of every driving season but not this year! It's lower now than it's been for years.

The point is, our lives are rarely normal, and our normal is not God's normal. The realty is that things continue to move along in sequence and that things on this earth are always changing. We were reminded of that in the creation account that we heard a few weeks ago at Easter Vigil. God created the earth in stages, it wasn't always just a lifeless globe nor was it always as we know it now. Bishop Barron beautifully writes, " God has created a dynamic universe, moving restlessly and relentlessly toward a goal, and this goal has been disclosed to us in Christ."

The only thing that never changes is God. For our mental, physical, and spiritual health, we must never forget that. As people of faith we need not be afraid, we need to stay focused on God, He is our rock. We need to cling to Him much like what we see on TV or in a movie when people hang on to a rock for dear life in the middle of a raging flood, and no matter how wet or beat up they get, they don't let go of that rock. We need to keep that visual in mind - that no matter what is happening to us and our loved ones now or will happen in the future, and despite any uncertainty, we need not fear. We just need to hang on to God and faithfully remain in His Church, which is built on rock. God is with us. After all, it makes no sense that He would abandon us now after He sent His only Son to us, to suffer horribly and die for us, to rise for us, and then with Jesus through the centuries giving us His very Body and Blood to sustain us.

Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John, " Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." In Ephesians we read that God, " …chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before Him. In love He destined us for adoption to Himself through Jesus Christ…" So there we have it, THAT is OUR normal, to cling to God so that one day we will be with Him in Heaven, along with His saints and angels.

May God bless you and keep you,
Deacon Bob