Martyrs of Memphis

09Sep
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

Each little flow'r that opens,
each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

By Cecil Frances Alexander


Today the Episcopal Church remembers the Martyrs of Memphis: Sisters Constance, Thecla, Hughetta and Francis and Fathers Parsons and Schuyler. All remained in Memphis, TN to serve the sick during the 1878 Yellow Fever epidemic. All died of the fever. 


I hate mosquitos. The hymn “All Things Bright and Beautiful” is one I have sung for as long as I can remember. While I strive to agree with the sentiment posed, that God made all creatures great and small and that they are all wonderful, I maintain that he could have omitted the mosquito. Reading accounts of the Yellow Fever outbreak reinforces this. 


In the 1870s, Yellow Fever swept through the Southern states, especially along the Mississippi River to devastating effect. At the time, no one knew what caused it. They speculated it was bad air, air-borne poisonous gas, poor hygiene. Historical narratives of the epidemic are truly haunting. Consider just the numbers: 5,000 people died and Memphis’s population was so depleted from death and people moving away to avoid the pestilence that the city lost its charter. It was not until 1901 that American military doctor, Walter Reed, confirmed that mosquitos were the culprit and began public health initiatives to prevent outbreaks. As we know locally, his work helped mitigate the New Orleans outbreak of 1903, keeping the death toll to 453. 


Remembering those selfless sisters and priests who willingly stayed behind in the thick of the sickness, administering to the ill, burying bodies, caring for orphans left behind, I am thankful for the inspiration Christ provided. I am also thankful to the medical scientists who, by infecting themselves without assurance of survival, confirmed the cause of yellow fever and whose research has made it possible to mitigate its impact. 


We live in a zone that medical experts have warned is at threat for being revisited by such epidemics again as weather patterns change. Mosquitos love warm and wet weather. In this season of Creation Care, I have prayed for illumination on what this all means. Sadly, I’m not sure I have come up with any insightful answers. I still hate mosquitos. But I suppose I can live alongside them while also doing my part, and encouraging others to do their part, to keep their population in check. I can support research-based public health initiatives. I can support immunization efforts, should they become necessary. And I can stir up any bird baths, drive through standing puddles, and empty any outside containers that provide them happy breeding grounds. And I can give thanks to God for both his Creation and also the agency and intelligence with which he blessed us. Agency and intelligence with which we can care for his creation - and kill mosquitos if we need to. 


Musical Reflection - All Things Bright and Beautiful - John Rutter Atlanta Master Chorale


We give you thanks and praise, O God of compassion, for the heroic witness of the Martyrs of Memphis, who, in a time of plague and pestilence, were steadfast in their care for the sick and dying, and loved not their own lives, even unto death; Inspire in us a like love and commitment to those in need, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen

FaithHopeHealingCreationPentecost

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