The letter includes:
Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in whether it is Greek or foreign.
And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through...
This little subsection reminded me of several things.
Firstly, there is my Bishop, George Murry SJ, who is currently facing his third bout with Leukemia, and has written a regular column in the Diocesan newspaper with the heading On The Road to Jerusalem. You understand, that we are on the road to the Heavenly Jerusalem, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
Secondly, I recalled the video below by Kerry Underwood entitled Temporary Home.
Windows in rooms we're passing through.
This is just a stop on the way to where we're going
I'm not afraid because I know
This is our temporary home.
My dad reminded me several times, maybe many times, that "This too shall Pass."
The heavenly Jerusalem shall never pass away, but all the difficulties of this place will pass away.
So, whether it is school shootings, World Wars, Race riots, or the Wuhan virus and the consequences of the governments response to it, THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
Because, this is our temporary home, not where we belong, windows in rooms we're passing through. This is just a stop, on the way to where we're going......
