A brief reflection on hugs, quarantine, and Christianity, written for Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati
Hello. I’m a Vestry member at Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati.
Vestry, for those who don’t know, is the elected leadership team of the church. I also work with the church’s Plumbline rental assistance program, the 5000 Club weekly free dinner, and I am the co-chair of the Gun Violence Prevention committee.
I write to tell you that brownies are not hugs.
I miss hugging. I miss hugging my mother-in-law and several others of you from church. I miss how I know she looks forward to my hugs, as do some of you.
I miss my son’s hugs something terrible. Can’t focus on that of course.
I need to learn that brownies are not hugs. Perhaps I am writing to tell myself that.
I am eating a lot of brownies these days.
Hugging is not part of the discipline of church. It’s not a sacrament, it’s not one of the teachings. It’s not an official practice like the Peace — though during the Peace is when we sneak a lot of it in.
We’re subversives.
We didn’t pick up hugging from Jesus.
