Thursday - 6th Week of Easter

Gospel – John 16:16-20

In A Little While

Streets of Jerusalem

I am tired!  Tired of non-stop newscasts with endless stories of violence and bloodshed!  Tired of hearing gunshots in the middle of the night!  Tired of seeing processions of families and friends on their way to lay a loved one to rest! Tired of lighting candles for young lives cut short by violence when we should be celebrating and cherishing the living!  Tired of seeing children physically separated from their immigrant parents and family!  So much heartache in Gaza!  So many tears in Ukraine!  How many young lives have to be lost to violence; how many families are torn apart by unfathomable grief, before we all agree that this is wrong!

Jesus talks about ‘a little while’ in today’s Gospel.  A little while and you will not see Me and again a little while and you will see Me.  As parents, we know from experience that our adult definition of “a little while” is way longer than that of a child’s. Play with me, mommy!  Give me a piggy-back ride, daddy!   Too often we say ‘in a little while.’  And then we forget and the moment is lost!

What are we waiting for?  What else can be more important than the life of a child?  What price can we possibly put on a child’s life and happiness?  How many young lives have to be cut short before we say enough, before we do something, anything to ensure that they grow up loved and protected, guided and nurtured?  Wouldn’t we pay any price, endure any inconvenience, just to keep them happy and alive?

What would you do for your kids to keep them safe?  To see them grow up?  For them to feel loved and protected?  So let’s do something, anything!  If not now, then when?  If not us, then who?  What are we waiting for?  I don’t care if it’s uncomfortable!  I don’t care if it’s politically incorrect!  Do something!  Protect our children! 

Hold your kids and grandkids a little closer today.  Hug them a little tighter.  Tell them you love them!  Show them you love them!  Take their hand and squeeze it just a bit more firmly!  And light a candle, say a prayer of comfort and support for those families torn apart by violence and death, separated by selfish politics and foolish greed!

“Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Feast of the Presentation Gospel – Luke 2:22-40 We Are Family Church of St. Joseph, Nazareth 5 extremely short stories to start the day! Once all the people in a village decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That is faith. When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That is trust. Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but we still set the alarm to wake up. That is hope. We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That is confidence. We see the world suffering, but still, we get married and have children. That is love. Faith, hope, love, confidence and trust!   Sounds like a perfect list of values/virtues for a happy family! Today’s Gospel tells us of another family – the Holy Family going up to Jerusalem with the baby Jesus to present Him to the Lord in ...
Read more
Image
Sunday – Feast of Corpus Christi Gospel – Luke 9:11b-17 Loaves and Fishes Church at Tabgha Throughout those 2 years of isolation from Covid,   I really missed my St. Kateri community.   I missed my native brothers and sisters.   I miss crowding ourselves into the chapel on a Sunday morning for Mass.   And I miss our community potluck meal afterwards. I think that I missed that simple meal the most; it speaks volumes to me about the community and about the values that should define our lives.   I said a ‘simple’ meal but actually it’s more of a constant miracle.   Jody, our director, and/or Ginger provide the main course.   And that’s it!   All the rest – sides, salads, pasta, dessert, bread and drinks   - all of that is left to the community.   Bring something to share!   We never know how many people will come!   We never know what they will bring!   Ginger always calls it a “loaves and fishes” event! ...
Read more
Image
  Tuesday – St. Aloysius Gonzaga Gospel – Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Narrow Gate Old City, Jerusalem We celebrate today the Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga.   He was raised in a wealthy and powerful noble family in northern Italy in the 16 th century.   As a youth, he served as a page for King Philip and afterwards trained to be a soldier.   However that career path was cut short by kidney disease.   After he recovered, he gave up all his wealth and title and entered the Jesuit order at the age of 19.   When the plague broke out in Rome, he volunteered to care for the sick.   Unfortunately he fell victim to the disease and died a scant 4 months later at the age of 22. He could have easily kept his title and wealth; he could have enjoyed a comfortable easy life.   But instead he chose a different path, a path that was not only uncomfortable but extremely difficult and   challenging. In terms of today’s Gospel, Aloysius chose the ‘narr...
Read more