In the gospel for today's mass we hear a scribe ask Jesus the question, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” (Mark 12:28) Jesus answers very clearly: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30)
In the more than 2,000 years since Our Lord spoke these words, we still seem to have a problem with putting them into action! With the horrible racism that is still rampant in this country, these words need to be spoken more loudly and with more conviction by all who are followers of Jesus Christ!
The death of George Floyd should never have happened, as well as the death of the others that have died in custody of the police. Further, the response to these attacks must be tempered with these words of Jesus, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."
Peaceful marches to get the point across to rid our society of racism and to bring equality and justice to all is the way to go. Not the terrible looting and rioting that have occurred since last week. Martin Luther King Jr. marched peacefully to teach the world the words of Jesus: "Love God and love neighbor." It's about mutual love and respect for all people who are made in the image of God.
Let us pray for the repose of the soul of George Floyd, let us pray for his family left behind grieving and looking for justice, and finally let's pray for our society that we can live out the words Jesus Christ taught, "Love God with all your heart. And love your neighbor as yourself."
And let us pray that all the rioting, looting, vandalism & violence stop & that everyone could just go home so that peace & order can be restored before military action becomes necessary so that we all can live in peace.
ReplyDeleteThe following was sent to me via email from my friend, William Reardon: I don't know if you are aware of the death of retired Capt. David Dorn. Looters killed him. The video of his dying is so sad it brought tears to my eyes. I saw an uncensored version and it disturbed my peace all night. I prayed for this poor man who happened to be black. I suggest everyone pray for his immortal soul as well.
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