Difficult Times

Pope Benedict XVI decreed that the Catholic Church would observe the Year Of Faith from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013. With all that is going on in our world today, I think that this is so very appropriate.

It is difficult for some to keep the faith in the face of all the recent tragedies our nation has faced. The bombings at the Boston Marathon, and then the terrible explosion in West Texas being the most recent. Many are wondering how this could have happened, where was God in all this. We speak of "free will", but that does not mean much to a family that has lost a husband, wife, son, daughter, father or mother. They wonder where the free will was of their loved ones. Faith can be a tenuous thing even in the best of times for some folks. When tragedy strikes, their faith is just as likely to go right out the window.

Others have their faith tested when those in authority, particularly in the Church, let them down by showing all to human failings. But, at least in these instances, I have to ask, is your faith in these people or in God? For if it is based in the teachings of Jesus, then you can not, and must not allow humans to test your faith or destroy it.

Of course, when things like the bombings of the Boston Marathon happen, that is different. As I said, though it be true, telling someone it was allowed to happen because of free will gives them little comfort. It gives me little comfort. How can such a thing happen? I go back to my first sentence with this. Lack of faith. No, not lack of faith of those injured, lack of faith on the part of the perpetrators. Yes, I know they are/were Muslims. I am not saying it was their Muslim faith and lack of Christian faith that led to this. Most Muslims are as shocked and outraged as any one else when such terrible things happen.  They condemn these acts of terror as well. No, I think it is a general lack of faith in anything. These people tell us they were doing it because of their faith, and because we do not think and act and pray as they do. But I think they have lost hope in everything, including themselves, though I'm sure they would never admit it. How can anyone claim to have hope in the world, and then kill innocent children and others? No, these men lost faith a long time ago. Faith in themselves, in the world, in humanity's ability to rise above its own pettiness and become more than it is.

Then, we have the explosion in Texas. As much as some would like to put a meaning behind it, to say it happened because we as a country are not doing, saying, praying etc., etc., etc., "right", I honestly believe this:  It Just Happened. As a very famous book once said, sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes, bad things just happen. They have from the beginning of time. Mistakes happen. Sometimes there is simply no one to blame, it is just life. Life is hard and it is not fair. We as a people don't always act fairly, why should life? It just is.

Now, do we let all this damage our faith? Or do we realize that, no matter what happens to us in this life, Jesus is with us, and will meet us in the next. We see as through a glass darkly. We don't have all the answers, but we do have the most important one: Jesus. If we hang on to that, keep faith in Him, though we have pain and sadness and terrible things in this life, we can get through it. We just have to keep faith of the next life, knowing that one day nothing that happened in this life will matter.

I wish you all, great faith, and many blessings.