The Worth of a Life

 

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.
Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear.
five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.
How do you measure,
Measure a year?

518,714 on February 25^th that is the reported number of people in the United States that have died of Covid-19. Every minute of this year can be marked by the death of a person.

A grandmother, a grandfather, a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister, a lover, a partner, a neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance, a teacher, a pastor, a nurse, a delivery driver, a child, a baby,

…

Those dots are so many lives, so many connections wiped out. Those dots are so much grief, a grief that is unending and continuous. Those dots are relentless and overwhelming, unnerving and unnecessary.

How do we measure a life? That was gone. Do we learn about there favorite food, song, place? Do we ask about what they loved? Do we learn about what they did for work, for family, for fun?

Do we look the grief in the eye? Do we sit with the loss? Do we ring a bell? Make a quilt? Build a memorial? Do we make sure to always double mask, stay six feet apart, avoid indoor gatherings, and get a vaccine? Do we face up to accountability – by knowing that we couldn’t have prevented all the death, but we could have done better? We can do better.

The season of Lent is a time we set aside each year to journey with Jesus to the cross. We set this time aside to pray, fast, give alms. We set this time aside to confess our sins and seek forgiveness. We set this time aside to mourn a loss, a death that we know is coming. During this Season of Love, set aside time to learn about some of these real people. Then take time to pray for the families and friends of the one who has died. Take time to confess that you have turned away from the news, I have turned away from the pain and grief. Ask God for forgiveness and ask how you can love.

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.
Five hundred twenty five thousand journeys to plan.
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes.
How do you measure a life of a woman or a man?

"Seasons of Love" Rent, written and composed by Jonathan Larson, 1996

 

Seasons of Love