Kyle Kramer, the executive director of the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center, reflects on the the need not only to make the systemic changes to curb violence, but also to explore the "shadowlands" of our interior world. "We must also pay attention to the inner landscape, exploring the shadowlands of our own hearts and the darker side of our culture, so that we don’t keep generating the violence that plagues us. That is the good but hard interior work of spiritual growth and of actually learning from these tragedies." Read Kyles full essay here. Fr. Rick Frechette, CP, also speaks of moving forward in dark days and the relentless presence of poverty and dehumanization in Haiti.
“There is a lesson in all these things that we are living. If we cannot fully prevent either sophisticated or crude terrorism, if we cannot at all prevent the terror that life itself inflicts on us, we need to define ourselves by what means most to us, as people and as children of God, precious to God and to each other, and never recoil from this out of fear.” Read his reflection here.
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That same day at sunset I was coming back from the grocery store thinking that the day was over and already imagining to cook some pasta. I entered the gate and the receptionist ran towards me asking me to run inside to help a patient. I was quite confused and I was tempted to answer, "I’m not a doctor, what can I do?" But again the voices came back: wake up, do not fall asleep! In front of me was a man with an 11 year child on his side and another in his arms with his legs and head hanging down as if he had no life. Two weeks ago I was in the U.S.A. giving mission appeals, trying to bring awareness to the conscience of people on how may brothers and sisters are suffering the lack of the fundamental needs: clean water to drink, food to eat, clothes to dress, meds, education, etc. While I was telling true stories about what we live constantly, I felt the question arising: Is this real? Are these stories true? We all saw the tragic picture/video of the child rescued a few days ago in Syria and so many of us felt horrified, but did we need that image to realize what has been going on there for years? How many other Aleppo’s are burning in the world, at yet we continue to sleep, our consciences almost numb and unable to react. The philosopher Blaise Pascal, meditating on the Passion of Jesus, wrote: “Jesus will be in agony until the end of the world, we must not sleep during that time.” (Pensees) |
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