Hello, fellow pilgrims. As I write this, I sit with a profound awareness of the hurriedness and detachment that currently pervade our society. It seems to me to have gotten strikingly more pervasive since the COVID pandemic shut everything down six years ago. It feels like something broke in our society, something deep and challenging to put a finger on. Something emotional, behavioral, psychological.
One example that I can put my finger on is reckless driving. In just the past week alone, I’ve witnessed no fewer than three red-light runners (deep red, as in red for at least 10 seconds before the car ran through it) and a near collision due to excessive speed. To be honest, I witness this daily, but these examples stand out. One red-light runner raced through a suburban intersection at a high rate of speed. The light had been red for a considerable amount of time. Thank God, I paused before going when my light turned green out of caution. Just as I began moving, the red-light runner sped through the intersection, and I slammed on my brakes to avoid getting t-boned.
Another red-light runner actually stopped at an urban intersection, waited, and then decided to go through it anyway, without regard for anyone else at that intersection. Yesterday, I was almost hit head-on by a driver who took a blind turn way too fast, almost hit the trees to their right, over-corrected and crossed the double yellow line toward me, then swerved back into their own lane—their tires squealing the entire time. And today, I was almost hit by a car speeding through a grocery store parking lot. About a month and a half ago, a woman adjacent to our parish was struck and killed while walking in a crosswalk in a grocery store parking lot. Tragic, and avoidable.
What has happened to civility? And faith? Part of loving thy neighbor is to abide by safety measures that have been put in place to protect our neighbors—to honor and value the sacredness of life. Have we forgotten that value? That sacredness? Have we forgotten who our neighbors are?
You are a neighbor. I am a neighbor. The cars and pedestrians around us are neighbors. The youths and families at bus stops are neighbors. People in crosswalks are neighbors. Even the people running red-lights or driving through occupied crosswalks are neighbors. They live next door to us, shop at the same stores as us, sit near us or with us in restaurants, at concerts, and other social events. They—We have families and friends who love us. We tell jokes, cry, hug, go to church, cut our neighbors’ lawn, watch each other’s kids and pets. We live and work among one another. We ARE one another.
Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Matthew 22:35-39)
He calls us to value others above self. To honor our neighbors by stopping at red lights. To honor our neighbors by driving thoughtfully and carefully. To honor our neighbors by carefully navigating parking lots and crosswalks. To honor our neighbors by slowing down and paying attention to all that is around us—all that God created with Love.
God has made everything beautiful for its own time.
(Ecclesiastes 3:11)
You are Beautiful and you are Beloved.
Angela+