Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - August 26, 2024
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from you.”
By now it is almost a cliché to say that Jesus is crucified again and again in the starving, the persecuted, the oppressed, the exploited, the refugees, the homeless and abused, in abandoned children and neglected elderly. Our temptations to despair and discouragement can be balanced, at least a bit, by seeing the hopeful signs around us.
Aren't there people who make a point of watching out for some poor family, who spread cheer and hope instead of gloom, who look in on an elderly neighbor, who give generously of their means and time?
Even beyond individuals we can look for signs of corporate responsibility, of civic pride and care. We see foundations, church groups that make a difference for underpaid farm workers, undocumented immigrants, overburdened mothers, the disabled. Jesus is hunted down and crucified in his members but he is also comforted and cared for in the same members.
Empowered by prayer and our sharing at the altar of the Lord we can by our lives also witness to God's love either as individuals or by participation in some larger movement. We can do our part daily to assure that the number of witnesses to God's love exceed the number of those involved in denying it.
We do that by seeking out the suffering in our neighborhood. We forget ourselves by finding and helping – at the proper distance --the many around us who are wounded in diverse ways.
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
