Who comes first?  As Covid-19 continues its relentless march across the planet, I note with alarm that, from what I can see, it is becoming increasingly apparent that once those in the affluent West obtain what they need to counteract and deal with this virus, they will, almost immediately, close their hearts to everyone else.  More darkly, they will also close their hearts to those who are still living among them, the marginalized, the poor, the forgotten.
     Are we "first"?  Is America "first"?

     Hardly.  We of the West, particularly those most resourced, are just one more wave of materially blessed yet frequently spiritually impoverished (even if we insist that we believe in a God of love) expression of humanity.  It is an expression that has appeared countless times in world history, and it is an expression that will manifest itself countless more times in centuries to come.  We are so decidedly "unspecial," so frightfully temporal and evanescent.  Our relative wealth ultimately means nothing.
     Let us not be the rich fool of whom Jesus talks, the person who made so much money that he boasted of needing new places, new banks in which to keep it.  Not once did he think about giving it to help others.  He died that very night (see Luke 12).  Be whom God wants you to be:  a person who lives for others.  And see what happens.