Editorial

Cling to prayer in response to life’s ongoing challenges

Chaos and uncertainty from election results in Florida.

Another mass shooting, this one in a California night club, where a gunman killed 12 people.

Wildfires running rampant in that same state, with the death toll rising to 44 as this newspaper went to press.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gathering for its fall meeting in Baltimore to discuss the Church’s clergy sexual abuse crisis and to consider a pastoral letter addressing racism, among other things.

While none of us can control the news cycle, we can shape how we react to it.

Anger, sadness, emptiness, betrayal and heartfelt concern might be initial reactions to any of the above headlines, and most would say those feelings would be justified.

But our faith teaches us that prayer must also be paramount in our response.

We know that anger and divisiveness were in play during the lead up to the Nov. 6 midterm elections. If you’re like many of us, you grew tired of the rhetoric and political advertisements that were aired nonstop. Pray now that God’s grace be with our nation as we move ahead in Florida, and that his wisdom will be with all those who will serve us in office in the future.

Sadness is an understandable reaction after learning that a lone gunman walked into a nightclub on Nov. 7 in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and killed 12 innocent people, many of them much too young to die. Pray that the victims are in God’s loving arms, pray for their families and friends, and, yes, pray for the shooter and his family, and that we can get the answers we need to find out why this horrible tragedy occurred. And pray that it never happens again.

Reactions to the California wildfires could include an empty feeling, seeing a beautiful part of our country literally going up in flames, resulting in the loss of lives. Pray that firefighters and other first responders stay safe and are able to get the situation under control as soon as possible, without further loss of life. Pray for those who have perished and for their families, and for those who have lost everything. May God, mercifully hearing our petitions, help these communities know they are not alone and are enveloped by our love.

The wounds are still fresh for many who have been hurt by the clergy sexual abuse. Many victims and their families still feel a sense of betrayal, as do other members of our Church family, and those feelings are justified. We know that healing will take time, even as we may experience disappointment that the Holy See asked that the bishops in the U.S. not vote on proposed actions at this time. Continue to pray for the victims and their families, and for our bishops, even beyond this week’s USCCB gathering, that God lead them in their task of reform and healing.

“There is always more to do, and we bishops must not be afraid to get our hands dirty in doing that work,” said Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, in his Nov. 12 address to bishops during the USCCB meeting. He also urged them to collaborate with the laity, but to face the current crisis both individually and as a group first and foremost.

Though it may be subtle in many instances, racism still exists in society. As stated in the draft of “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love—A Pastoral Letter Against Racism” written by our bishops, “Despite many promising strides made in our country, the ugly cancer of racism still infects our nation.” We, as people of faith, must have a heartfelt concern in addressing this ongoing prejudice.

We must continually remind ourselves that each of us is made in the image and likeness of God, and that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.

And, just as important, even though we may be African-American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Native American or any other ethnicity, we must never forget that we all make up the body of Christ.

As we pray each day, please God, let us never, ever forget that.

—Mike Krokos