Confession and Covid Variants

“In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, to contribute something to solving overpopulation” This cheery thought is courtesy of Prince Philip in a 1988 interview. As he did live to see the start of covid, I wonder if he ever regretted this synopsis of his heart’s desire. But let’s not judge too harshly the prince’s Greta Thunberg moment. From watching some episodes of The Crown on Netflix, one can see the reason behind such attention seeking behavior in a mature (?) adult. After all, the Queen’s two corgi dogs outscored Prince Philip in royal celebrity rankings. Could he match their adorable cuteness when they shook a paw? But one wonders whether the Prince, when he died at the ripe old age of 99, regretted his desire to return to earth as a more lethal Covid variant? Or did he thank God for his thus far unanswered prayer?

Garth Brooks crooned his way to the top of the country charts with lines like “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” Maybe the pony you prayed for when you were in kindergarten wasn’t all that practical. Those things don’t poop rainbows and skittles, in spite of what the television said. But enough about what we want from God, and how we are turning into Ebenezer Scrooges from our unanswered prayers. Does God have any unanswered prayers? Or is it only us that suffer in this way?

God wouldn’t have unanswered prayers because He’s God. He can do anything, except perhaps there is one exception. He can’t force our will. What seems to be on His wish list? Jesus’s first words in the Gospel of Mark are, “Repent and believe the good news”. In today’s comic page, two of the characters meet in a confession line, a line-up of repentant sinners who believe in the good news that their sins can be forgiven, thus the line up for the sacrament of confession.

Today confession seems to be going out of style. The line-ups are few. Let’s hope that it's because we are living more Godly lives than our predecessors and have less need for confession. Merry Christmas and God bless us, every one!