A Parable in Time of Pandemic – God Speaks
It is a story of uncertain origins but appears in many places on the internet.
The Lord will save me
After a horrible flood, the waters rose so high that one man was forced to climb onto the roof of his house.
As the waters rose higher and higher, a man in a rowboat appeared, and told him to get in.
“No,” replied the man on the roof. “I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me.”
The waters rose higher and higher, and a speedboat appeared. “Climb in!” shouted a man in the boat. “No,” replied the man on the roof. “I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me.”
The waters continued to rise. A helicopter appeared and the pilot announced over the loudspeaker that he would lower a rope to the man on the roof.
“No,” replied the man on the roof. “I have faith in the Lord; the Lord will save me.”
Eventually, the waters rose so high that the man on the roof was washed away and soon drowned.
When he arrived in heaven, the man marched straight over to God.
“Heavenly Father,” he said, “I had faith in you, I prayed to you to save me, and yet you did nothing. Why?” God gave him a puzzled look, and replied “I sent you two boats and a helicopter, what more did you expect?
It immediately came to mind when I read stories of preachers who held large rallies with their mega congregations in the time of pandemic. Earlier we learned of a retreat house in southern Italy that thought that they could receive the Precious Blood safely.
Maybe Saint Augustine was right…
Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
Practice physical distancing. In a digital age use other means of emotional closeness.
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