Yesterday U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida struck down the mask mandate for those traveling on airplanes, buses, trains, and other modes of public transportation. The judge ruled that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) did not possess the legal authority to impose the mandate from February 2021 to the present. That mandate had been extended several times, most recently, to May 3, 2022. It had clearly been point of contention for those on the political right as well as the political left. Now the mandate is history. Many airlines were quick to make masks optional for their flight crews and passengers. Personal freedom has finally prevailed!
In the 1960's, we were taught to be suspicious of any authority. "Question authority" was the cry on the lips of the generations opposed to our government's engagement in the Vietnam war. That fear of authority has been evident throughout the waves of the global pandemic created by COVID-19. The conflict was fueled in the highest levels of the U.S. government as elected leaders discounted and disputed the counsel of scientists. In every setting, including churches, many have longed for the return of personal freedom. We demanded the freedom to choose how we would live our individual lives. We resisted any and all external authority to inform us and shape our behaviors.
Yes, yesterday was a decisive victory for all who have been longing to be free of restrictive public health mandates. But now, the decisions for how we will live rest squarely on our individual hearts and minds. Here's the question: Who is your authority as you seek to be faithful?
Jesus was also confronted by the question of authority (Mt. 21:23; Mk. 11:28; Lk. 20:2). As a follower of Jesus, I find in him my greatest authority. He models what it means to be responsibly free--not just for our individual lives but for that of the community and society and world where we live. When I hear him say, "Love your neighbor as yourself," I realize that I must act responsibly with my liberty. Love means yielding for the common good, caring for the vulnerable, and using freedom to strengthen community. In practice that means I must be mindful and respectful of those who are working in public places (e.g., clerks in stores, flight crews, physicians and nurses, pastors, teachers) and for those who are not able to make such decisions for themselves. There are many individuals around us who look to us for guidance and care. Perhaps that was what the CDC was trying to do. Now it is up to us.
Love your neighbor . . .
