Thirteenth Day

Early Sunday morning, an arc of pain across my throat and ears woke me up. I felt feverish and wondered if the fever had affected my dreams which made glad to be awake. Although I was looking forward to going to Church, I thought that I should take care of myself by being sensible. So I read “the best of everything” that I had bought yesterday. The central character, a pastor’s daughter, was always given the best of everything by her father who paid her extravagant bills out of guilt for this treatment of his family. She married the man of her dreams but thought that he should accept her adultery and excessive debts because he promised to love her until death.

Even with the failure of her marriage and national disgrace, she remained unrepentant as she felt her problems would be resolved if she married someone rich enough.
Her egocentricity was breathtaking but it made me reflect on my excuses and the dynamics of my relationships. Sometimes we can expect too much of others.

Finding acceptance for other viewpoints is part of compassionate communication, despite the claims of postmodernism, not every perspective is privileged. While I agree that absolute positions should be taken with caution, I feel that there are some ethical issues that are right in any culture or time. Ancient virtues of faith, self-reliance, saving for a rainy day, help your neighbor, protecting the defenseless still have a place in our society. It is so

I want to move with the times the same as any teenager. Yet I recall the warning of the ancient prophets against removing the ancient landmarks; so I try, not only during Lent but as a lifestyle choice to let them stand.