Scene from Newtown Conn. mass shooting -- Dec. 15, 2012 -- NBC News photo
Jihad Misharawi, of BBC Arabic, cradling the body of his
11-month-old baby Omar after his house was struck in Israel’s air strike on Wednesday 14 November 2012—AP photo
The death of Holy Innocents is all around us. Too many children destroyed. Over the past years a couple of thousands in
Syria, 35 in eight days in Gaza, 20 in less than one hour in Newton,
Connecticut. We are appalled at
some—those that make the media. The
images of suffering children in Gaza are sequestered and little seen. My dear Ande watched their online video for
minutes and tears of compassion came quickly, with a resolve to say the rosary
daily till Christmas. Countless children
killed in all wars day after day; in abortion they number millions each year.
We pray with Thomas Merton for light in the darkness—a
Savior is born in a stable.
Into this world,
this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for Him at all, Christ
has come uninvited. But because He cannot be at home in it, because He is out
of place in it, and yet must be in it, His place is with those others for whom
there is no room. His place is with those who do not belong, who are rejected
by power because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are
denied status as persons, who are tortured, bombed, and exterminated. With
those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in the world. He is
mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world
at its worst.
--- from Thomas Merton’s essay ‘The Time of the End is the Time of No Room’.
An idolatrous lie replaces the Credo--the Great Deceiver insinuates: I
believe in Gun the power almighty, protector of heaven and earth.
Lord Jesus, save us from evil one, who whispers that killing is
sometimes required to secure the way to the Kingdom of God.
This sign to appear in downtown Port Huron, Dec. 24th . May we unite against violence everywhere it lurks. May we unite the devotional charity [The Merciful] and social justice [The Just] aspects of our churches--conservative and liberal sides of our community--which have too often been at odds. They both must work and pray for each other---repent of violence-based cliff-hanger politics, and commit to the common good.
Pray for all the children --
To help with those in Syria see Catholic Relief Service active during the whole past year of hostilities https://secure.crs.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5080&5080.donation=form1&s_src=emergencypage
or our local contact http://www.optrans.org/syria.html
And please see my report on the complex Syria war-- http://mccarthysweekly-paxvobiscum.blogspot.com/2012/08/making-sense-of-syria-dominoes-of.html
For help in Gaza see http://crs.org/jerusalem/jobs-in-gaza-helping-grads-connect-with-work/
Some ideas to support families in Newton, CN http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/newtown-connecticut-community-effected-shooting/story?id=17998133
http://tv.msnbc.com/2012/12/17/nra-endorsed-sen-joe-manchin-calls-for-assault-weapons-ban/
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