Are You Vaccinated?

It’s been the topic of daily conversation in every state of the union since the new year began.  Did you get your shot yet?  Which vaccine did you get?  Did you have any side effects?  Where did you get yours? 

We have become the nation of inoculation.  A vacci-nation. The United Shots of America.  The vaccination preoccupation nation. 

Our collective attention on COVID-19 mirrors the Kennedy assassination and the first moon landing.  And the reason for this single-minded focus?  Fear.  Fear of death.

The daily tally warns us there is no place to hide.  The coronavirus spares no age group, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, or political persuasion.  The instinct to survive is now fully engaged.

It’s a new threat, but it’s not a new concern.  Since the invention of penicillin in 1929, we have poured billions of dollars into research for drugs that will cure sickness and delay death.  Not to be outdone, health and wellness gurus continually announce the latest vitamin, supplement, diet, and exercise regimen purported to channel the proverbial fountain of youth.

Understood.  I’d prefer to live a long life like anyone else.  And as a professional therapist, I would add mental and emotional health as a worthy goal.  Judging by my caseload and the huge catalog of therapeutic books for sale on Amazon, it’s a good bet that it rivals physical health for a place on the American dream landscape.

Spiritual Vaccination?

But what about our spiritual health?  Can you imagine a daily tally in each state tracking the number of people who have become spiritually sick?  Data on the number of spiritual deaths due to mortal wounds/sins?  A list of symptoms that will alert you to the onset of spiritual decline?  A set of practices that will protect you from exposure to spiritual attacks and evil influences?  A website with places that offer spiritual vaccines?

You don’t need imagination.  These things already exist – without the daily numbers, of course.  Think seven “deadly” sins when you want a checklist of symptoms for a soul in a downward spiral: pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust.  “Protective masks” include prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, along with the overarching love that “covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8).”  Websites showing the churches nearest you offer the sacraments that can vaccinate you against sin and build your immunity to mutations.

Changing the Topic

So why aren’t they part of our daily conversations?  What if we started making it a point to do so?   “Hey, Bill, how’s it goin’?  Did you get your shot yet?  How are you doing spiritually?

Too personal, you say?  That’s private information, you insist.  When someone has the flu, has been diagnosed with diabetes, or is recovering from surgery, we don’t hesitate to ask about their condition, do we?  Why is spiritual recovery off limits?

What if attention to our spiritual health became the highest priority for ourselves and those we love?  What if it spread to others and gained momentum?  What if it started a movement?  What if it led to herd immunity from the influence of evil in the world?

I don’t know – but I’d like to try.  We might find ourselves joining St. John Chrysostom’s claim of victory over fear.  Yes, even the fear of death.

“The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock.  Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock.  Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus.  What are we to fear? Death? ‘Life to me means Christ, and death is gain.’….. I have what he has written; that is my staff, my security, my peaceful harbor.  Let the world be in upheaval.  I hold to his promise and read his message: that is my protecting wall and garrison.  What message? ‘Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!”