May 9, 2021

When asked what is the first commandment, that is, the first in importance and significance, Jesus replied that we must love God with all our heart, all our mind, and all our soul and all our strength. (See Mk 12: 28-31) Then Jesus goes on to tell us, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He tells us that this second commandment is like the first, that is, it is like it in importance. The two commandments go together, and are in fact, inseparable. To love God we must also love our neighbor. As St. John tells us in his first letter, “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars.” (4:20)

We are now, and have been for over a year, in a terrible pandemic. There have been hundreds of thousands of deaths, many people made sick, terrible economic hardship, disruption of education, the arts, and life in general. We all are responsible for helping each other through this terrible scourge.

One of the best ways to do that is to get vaccinated. That is the best thing you can do for your neighbor in this pandemic. The sooner we can get to herd immunity, and get ahead of this virus and the multiplying variants, the sooner life can resume. The only way to do this is to get everyone vaccinated.

The vaccine is not an economic burden. You can get it for free. It does not take very long. It is really, really, really important.

To fail to get the anti-corona virus vaccination without a very, very serious reason is, I believe, a serious failure in charity to your fellow humans, and therefore a serious sin. Let me repeat that, to fail to respect the health and well-being of your neighbor by failing to get the corona virus vaccination is a serious sin. The stakes are illness and death, and that makes this a very serious matter indeed.

So, if you have not yet gotten the vaccine, even if you don’t like shots, even if it is something of a bother and inconvenience, even if you don’t fully believe all the stories about the virus, I urge you, for your own spiritual well-being, to go and get vaccinated. It is a loving thing you can, and should, do for your neighbor.

God bless!