Religion & Law

Emilie Lemmons died of cancer just before Christmas, leaving behind a husband and two small children.  Although we are fast approaching Ordinary Time, her words from Advent, filled with a wisdom gained by fully embracing reality, are worth reading any time of the year.  Here is a snippet:

?On a recent Sunday morning at Mass, I was glancing at the program and saw an invitation to participate in the Advent liturgy with ?a joyous heart, mind and spirit.?

Immediately, I became angry. How on earth can a person with stage 4 cancer that is progressively getting worse feel joyous, I thought. My resentment seethed, and I sat like a hard stone all through Mass.

When the intentions mentioned those who are ill, I identified myself immediately and felt like such an outsider ? just like the homeless people and other people on the fringes with whom I was lumped in the same intention. I felt miles away from normal, and it was hard to accept.