The Bubonic Plague

In 1349 the Bubonic Plague landed in Norwich, which (at the time) was the second largest and richest city in England with only London being ahead.  

The plague strick in 1349.  

Then 1361.

1368.

1371.

1373.

1390.

1405.

Historians say that by 1370 the population in England had been cut in half and so many people had died that bodies were buried 5 deep in the ground ... somewhere around 25 million lost their lives.

And how did the religious respond?  

We know that some groups went around from town to town literally whipping themselves for their sins because they believed that the pandemic was caused by their sins and the sins of everyone else.

"Surely God is good and ticked off at us."

And so they went from one town to another calling on people to punish themselves, to make themselves suffer more than they already had, and to be overcome by guilt for their sins and wrongdoings all in hopes that God would call off the dogs and end the suffering.  

We've seen this during the Covid-19 Pandemic, haven't we?  

I remember back in the Spring of 2020 seeing Facebook posts going around saying that "because we put everything ahead of God, God has taken everything away from us."

In other words, "surely God is good and ticked off at us."

Quarantine was the whipping we deserved.  

We deserve to suffer.

We should feel guilty.

We should feel remorse.

We're getting what we deserve.

We should be in isolation where we can rely on no one else other than God.

During the time of the Bubonic Plague there lived a saint known to us as Julian of Norwich and my friend Matthew Fox has written a wonderful book about her called "Julian of Norwich: Wisdom in a Time of Pandemic - and Beyond".  It's a thought provoking book that you should pick up and read as it will give you incredible perspective on these very confusing days that we're in ... perspective in realizing that you and I aren't the first ones to experience the uncertainty of these dark days and how those who have gone before made it through.  

Anyways.

In chapter 2 he has this section where he talks about the religious people going around whipping themselves and heaping shame on people for their sins all the while Julian of Norwich went around urging people to abandon the idea of a God who judges and punishes people, insisting that God has no wrath in his being, and encouraging people to dwell on goodness, joy, and awe.

The goodness of being alive.

The joy of being human.

The awe of mere existence.

"For Julian", Fox says, "the remedy for making it through hard times is to remember THAT we are here, WHY we are here, and WHAT a privilege it is to be part of the vast beauty and goodness of existence."

Yes.

Our mere existence is something to be in awe of, right? The universe is roughly 13.8 billion years old and has (so far) expanded to include 2 trillion galaxies ... and yet here we are - you and me, right now.

Coincidence?

Miracle.

I don’t really know, but I do know this - yeah, we've all got problems and yeah this pandemic sucks, and yeah life is 1000% really hard, but ... really? Think about that - think about the miracle of your existence in this very moment.

Do you feel a sense of awe?

A small smile of joy?

Do you sense the goodness and the care that some sort of force had to place you in this moment?

Julian says these are the things we need to focus on in the midst of life's pandemics for these are the keys to transforming the negative into the positive, the medicines that will help us live another day.

My prayer for you and for me today is this - "may we recover our sense of joyous awe today, may we find joy in the small things, may we fine awe in every breath we take, may we know and trust that of all the moments in the last 13.8 billion years, the Divine saw it fit for us to take our breath in this one."

Much love,

Glenn Siepert