I've been writing a lot lately. As a result, I feel like I can kind of ease off today. I do want to note that President-elect Joe Biden turns 78 today. He will far-and-away be the oldest president ever to be inaugurated. In January 2017, President Trump was the oldest at 70. Today is also the birthday of Bobby Kennedy. He was born 95 years ago.
The United States has never really recovered from 1968. It was in 1968 that both Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.and Robert Francis Kennedy were assassinated. It's interesting sometimes to think about what might've been had that pivotal year not proven so violent. Yes, it's easy to imagine things much better than they likely would've been in reality. As long as that caveat is kept in mind, such "what if" moments can be most useful.
The Sunday after Christ the King is the First Sunday of Advent. First Vespers (or First Evening Prayer) is the premier liturgical celebration of the new Year of Grace, that is, the new liturgical year. I suppose, in a sense, one can say 2020 is over. With good news regarding vaccines in the offing, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, I wonder how many will be infected, how many of those people will become ill and suffer lingering effects of COVID-19, and how many more people will die. This week, the U.S. passed 250,000 COVID deaths. A quarter of a million people!
Listening to a story about the National Book Awards, which were held virtually this year, I learned of a song by the band The Mountain Goats: "This Year." Recorded in 2005, it seems perfect for 2020. A kind of anthem, perhaps?
Another takeaway from the story on the National Book Awards is that there is a new biography of Malcolm X: The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X. I have read The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley and watched Spike Lee's very good movie Malcom X (see "Malcolm X: Spike Lee's biopic is still absolutely necessary"). I look forward to reading this book. Apparently, the book was begun by journalist Les Payne. Les died before finishing the book. So, his daughter, Tamara, finished it. The book won the 2020 National Book Award for non-fiction. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965.
Sorry for the digression. Our traditio for this penultimate Friday of November and of this Year of Grace is The Mountain Goats singing "This Year"-
As a bonus, you can watch and listen to Stephen Colbert sing along here. Hang in there, the Lord is near. He is always near. Easter is always on the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment