Cardinal Wolsey breathed through a rose in public to mask the stench of unwashed bodies and unsanitary social conditions of his England. It may have reduced the problem for him, but what about those who had to live without roses?
Why didn't English leaders consider the obvious alternative: washing with soap and water and removing trash? Neither of which seemed to be a health threat in 16th century England. Capable of producing Shakespeare, England couldn't produce hygienists. Queen Elizabeth urged her American Indians not to bathe so often—as in once a day. Her own people, as the Cardinal's nose-rose proved, could have made civil contact much healthier by such a habit. We too can mask the stench of daily life by roses held under our nose:
Smelling life through such roses make life more tolerable for us, but it doesn't eliminate the harmful issues many can't handle because they don't have Christ in their life. The solution to such stench is elimination by forgiveness of sin, not reduction of stress or bad health habits. Jesus held no roses under his nose when he became human. He breathed the same odoriferous air common to the human condition, exempting himself only from sin while identifying himself with us. He even took on himself in life and at the cross the tragic conditions of mortals:
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