After a week of cold-like symptoms (and a negative COVID test on Monday), I tested again on Friday. Good Friday. On the day we remember Jesus’ death, I tested positive for a disease that has killed over 6 million people.
I don't mean to be too dramatic about it. I've been vaccinated and boosted, and my symptoms were mild. But it felt like an eerily timed connection to death, a reminder of my own precarious existence. Jesus died, but we also believe that he rose—does this bring hope in the midst of a pandemic?
As I pondered these things, I was grateful for the recent content here at the Century. My own reflections were buoyed by Ross Allen's contemplation on the nature of resurrection and Valerie Wohlfeld’s poem about crucifixion. I also benefited from a recorded interview with Wendy Farley about God's desire for us. (Plus some other great articles await you below.)
As I took stock of my current life, I'm not exaggerating when I say that one of my joys right now is receiving emails from all of you. It's a delight to get to know the quirky, brilliant, loving readers of this magazine. On that note...
Email me: what were you reflecting on during Good Friday or Easter this year?
“Few people have full confidence in the idea of the resurrection they grew up with, but everyone seems to feel the need to pretend that they do. What if we didn’t have to pretend?”
“White people have not yet given up this Promethean dream of mastery, neither its idea of a master race nor its goal of controlling others and the world’s resources. That dream still has a monstrous quality, one we need to confront.”
“Various ethnic groups have been consistently excluded from political processes, forced to leave their lands and abandon their livelihoods. The result is the longest civil war in recent history.”
