Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives...A Geeky Review

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is an eloquent and very knowledgeable scholar. Even so, he knows how to reach out to readers in a very sincere manner.

Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, like the previous books in this series, is a work of love. It is a work that is designed to make Christ known to the world in a manner that is relevant to our present times. Without adding to the narrative, Pope Emeritus draws out many meaningful observations from the Bible and other historical texts and traditions. In doing so, he reveals and explains very significant details about Christ’s life and mission that are often overlooked or hidden from those who read the biblical narratives of Christ’s birth and youth. While we are familiar with many of the moments of Christ’s life that are discussed in this book, we often take them for granted, not knowing just how important they are. This book seeks to enlighten us about Christ’s life and help us appreciate even the smallest details.

Using rich descriptions of the world during Christ’s time as well as tradition and Biblical text, Pope Emeritus Benedict expands upon familiar moments in Christ’s life, such as the passage about the twelve- year-old Christ in the Temple. We are all familiar with this portion of the New Testament, where Christ is left behind in Jerusalem as his parents returned to Nazareth. However, as this book illustrates, there is much more that we can derive from the dialogue as well as the circumstances of this passage. For example, though Jesus was not required by custom to return to Jerusalem during the three great feasts (Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles) until the age of 13, he was still brought along by his parents. This may not seem to be a big deal to us, but as Pope Emeritus explains, the fact that Christ came along is quite significant. It demonstrates the piety of the holy family. Neither Jesus nor Mary was required by custom or law to go to Jerusalem with Joseph, but they went anyway. They went because it was God’s temple and their journey was a journey towards God.

Small and often under-appreciated tidbits of information such as this shed light into a passage that almost seems too short and too early in Christ’s life to be of much significance. They also shed light into how Christ can be encountered today. As the holy family sought God by making a pilgrimage to the Temple, we too must also go to mass to seek Christ. In illuminating the pious and faithful lives of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, Pope Emeritus Benedict beautifully explains how we can implement this faith into our daily lives even if we are not called to be preachers, healers, or prophets. This passage, and many others in this book, will help any reader see how Christ’s mission began far earlier than the years of his public ministry and how we can glean many lessons from his earliest years that we can then apply to our daily lives.

Altogether, this book is a good read if you intend to take your time reading it. Though Pope Emeritus is able to break down a lot of material in a way that can be easily understood by the average reader, this is one of the books you will need to take your time on. It is not a quick read and it is full of information. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever wanted to know the back story to Christ’s earlier years and to anyone who has ever been interested in exploring what life was like in Christ’s time. As the bibliography will tell you, Pope Emeritus Benedict did his homework and somehow managed to incorporate the works and ideas of many great authors from around the world when writing this work. I highly recommend this work if you are willing to invest quite a bit of time in reading it. It will certainly help you look at Christ’s earlier years in a new and very enriching light.

Disclosure:

All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I was offered a free eBook copy of this book for review.

Padre Pio, Saint Therese de Lisieux, and my First Surgery

I had a very vivid dream about a year ago. I was in a church with a bunch of saints, some I recognized and some I could not. Among them, I distinctly remember Saint Therese, the Little Flower. In the midst of our conversation, she told me that I would suffer greatly in the time to come but that she and the other saints would pray for me. Since this dream, I had a panic attack in front of my PI, was hospitalized a few times for excruciating pain, prepared for my qualifying exam, took my qualifying exam, was hospitalized for a bad reaction to a prescription, and those are just a few examples that come to mind. Two weeks ago, I had my first surgery....a few days following my first dissertation committee meeting.

I have to say, surgery is not a pleasant experience. Two weeks ago, I got to spend a whole week a t home simply waiting for pain to subside as I tried to let the pain slowly disappear. Breathing hurt, lying down hurt, laughing hurt, moving hurt, walking hurt, re-positioning myself hurt. In short, I felt like a big bruise. I am not in pain anymore, but my body is still healing from the incisions and stitches.

And still, I feel blessed.

In my dream, though Saint Therese told me I would suffer greatly, she also assured me that I would not suffer alone. I had an army of saint to pray for me. I also had a loving God who would always watch over me. However, I'm not perfect and I know all-too-well just how hard it is to always remember just how much God loves us and how we should just put all our trust in Him....especially when there's surgery involved.

One of the last things I did before surgery was go to confession....just in case. As much as I knew I would be okay, I felt like I should still keep all of my bases covered. Boy am I glad I did so, because this confession was quite an experience for me. Have any of you ever been in a confessional with a priest who knew exactly what you needed to learn and hear at a particular point in your life? Well, that was the kind of priest that confessed me on the day before my surgery.

I think Padre Pio must have been looking out for me that day. During the lowest points in my life, he tends to make an appearance. I have dreamed of him several times and each time, he has helped me find the wisdom, strength, faith, and courage I needed to overcome an obstacle. This Monday preceding my surgery was a pretty low point for me between pre-surgery stress and a fight that I had gotten into the previous day. Both of these together had me feeling down and asking God for help and forgiveness. I dreaded each moment before my confession (as any Catholic can relate to if they ever find themselves in line for confession weighed down by sin and discord). It seems like the more I mess up in my prayer life and in my personal life, the less worthy I am of forgiveness and the less worthy I am of coming back to God. Yet, as distant as God may seem to be at these times, He never fails to prove to me just how close He was the whole time.

After confession, I felt a wave of peace and forgiveness wash over me even though I had stumbled through much of what I wanted to say. I am sure it wasn't the most calm, collected confession I have ever made. No, this one was definitely me in my most pathetic, ugly-cry Catholic mode. 

God proved to be merciful that day and I did not fail to notice his sense of humor. Not only did I end up being stuck in a room with a statue of Padre Pio as I waited for confession (for the record, I was also the only person waiting for confession that was sent there)...but I could have sworn I saw Padre Pio sitting in a pew of the church as I was leaving. I wish I could have had the courage to stare at the man longer, or even approach him....but I did not want to stare or interrupt his prayers. However, I did do a double-take on my way out. He was still there as I was leaving and he still looked like a modern-day Padre Pio.

Fast-forward to the operation day and there I was in the hospital. Surgery was delayed, but I was in pretty good spirits. My fiance was with me, keeping me in good spirits. We both have a pretty great sense of humor and you could probably hear our shared laughter throughout the entire wing. When the time came for the injections to begin, I gritted my teeth as best as I could, looked up at the cross above my bed, and offered it all up. I ended up offering up the pain for the souls in purgatory, uniting my own sufferings with that of Christ. It was a powerful experience and it certainly was a great help throughout the healing process.

I may have suffered in all kinds of crazy ways this past year. However, in this time, I have learned quite a few lessons in patience and humility. I have learned to accept imperfections. I have learned to stop turning science into a god of sorts (even with qualifying exams, it's just not healthy to allow science to take over every moment of your life). I have learned to ask for help. I have learned to tell people that I need a break every once in a while. I have also learned to trust. If God has a mission for you, he will give you everything you need to complete this mission. This has been a hard lesson to learn, but it has been one of the most powerful and sustaining lessons.

I still have quite a few lessons to learn, but I have to say that I have been feeling better this past year (even with the suffering) than I have in a long time.

Saint Therese, a perfect example of how we should deal with suffering

"....it is suffering that draws us near to God. Trials help us detach ourselves from the earth; they make us look higher than this world. Here below nothing can satisfy us. One cannot enjoy a moment's rest save in constant readiness to do the will of God. Life passes so quickly that it is better to have a most splendid crown in heaven and a little suffering than an ordinary crown and no suffering. I realize that one will love the good God better for all eternity because suffering borne with joy! And, by suffering one can save souls... Sanctity lies not in saying beautiful things, or even in thinking them, or feeling them; it lies in truly being willing to suffer. It is so sweet to serve our Lord in the night of trial; we have only this life to practice the virtue of faith. I suffer much but do I suffer well? That is the important thing."

-Prayers and Meditations of Therese of Lisieux

Pax Vobiscum

Atheists and Catholics UNITE!

I can't tell you how excited I am that someone thought about creating a website where Catholics and atheists can come together for civil discourse on faith. I am even more excited to announce that this website EXISTS. Don't believe me? Then head on over the Strange Notions, a new website where Catholics and atheists can come together and do what they do best...talk religion. I have often said that some of the best theological discussions I ever had involved me sitting across a table with atheist, agnostic, and questioning friends and colleagues. In the past, I have not found the internet to be the best place for discussion with some folk with regards to religion (on comment threads or Facebook, at least) but after checking out the site, I have hope.

I mean, just check out the list of contributors. It is chock-ful of some of the best writers, apologists, bloggers, and padres that the New Evangelization has to offer.

These names include:

Fr. Robert Barron- Father Barron is one of the most intelligent and well-rounded speakers of all time, especially in matters of the faith. If I were a bit older, I would liken him to modern-day Archbishop Fulton Sheen. I thoroughly enjoyed his Catholicism series and am currently in Year 2 of his Word on Fire series (his podcasts available for free on iTunes).

Brandon Vogt- seriously, what hasn't this guy already done for the New Evangelization. He has his own website, blogs, he writes, he speaks, and gets all kinds of great things together.  I mean, he's the father of the world's cutest padre for Pete's sake!

Marc Barnes- BadCatholic is, essentially, my blogfather...the blog that ultimately inspired me to start this blog. I love his writing style as well as his sense of humor. If I liked his blog and New Evangelization efforts any more than I already do, I would probably be considered a stalker.

Leah Libresco- a very intelligent atheist-turned-Catholic blogger (AND fellow geek) at Unequally Yolked. I may not always agree with all of her views, but I have to say that she is probably one of the best people to have in your corner when it comes to apologetics.

...and many more great names such as Steve Gersholm, Mark Shea, and  John C. Wright

I am super excited about this site because, unlike quite a few other sites on the internet, it offers individuals a chance to have their questions answered without an all-around internet brawl taking place. I've already read over some of the posts (and the comments that followed) and have reason to believe that this site may turn out to be a great place for civil (and informed) dialogue regarding quite a few hot topics. There's bound to be something there for just about everyone (history buffs, science geeks, etc).

A sample of articles you will find here:
Evolution Doesn't Select for Ethics by Leah Libresco (SCIENCE! Huzzah!)
Catholic, Gay, and Feeling Just Fine by Steven Gersholm (the comments are also worth a read)
The Alleged Conflict Between Science and Faith by Fr. Andrew Pinsent (another Catholic science geek of the physics persuasion!)

I've only had a chance to explore a bit of this website, but I am liking what I have seen thus far and am confident that we can expect great things here!

Pax Vobiscum and best wishes to Strange Notions!

Of Martha's and Mary's: A Reflection on Vocations Part II of II

Click here for Part I of II

I am of the opinion that holiness can be attained in many ways and that God has a different plan for everyone because each person is different. My younger sister, from what I know of her character, is not one of the people who are called to live the life that this friend of ours thinks is best for her. Just as she may not be cut out for the life of mother and wife as my mom would have probably wanted to live. God is calling her to sit at his feet as she gives him her complete attention. Though God loves us all, I am sure that He also loves to be loved by all of His creations. With that said, I am sure he calls all of the Mary’s out there to sit at his feet and drink in each word, each expression of love, each moment of His true presence. Yes, God is omnipresent, but the average 9-5 job prevents us from truly appreciating God’s omnipresence. If we are lucky, we get maybe a rare handful of moments in our ENTIRE LIVES where we truly acknowledge His presence. I live for these moments and cannot wait for the next one, so who am I to prevent anyone from entering the monastic life?

With that said, I know monastic life isn’t for everyone. Does that make us any less than our religious brothers and sisters? No. A priest (and Benedictine monk) once explained it all to me in a way that made sense. Not all are called to religious life. However, that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have a plan for them too. Some go on to give birth to children who do get the call to religious life. Others simply learn to truly love Christ after learning to love their husbands or wives. After being in a relationship with my fiancé for 7 odd years, I have learned more about how to love God and live selflessly than I knew when I was planning on entering a convent. I am a far less selfish person and I am a lot more patient than I once was. I have also delved deeper into my faith over the years. In learning to love my fiancé, I have learned to love Christ as God intended for us to love him. Religious life brings people closer to Christ, but marriage does as well, only in a different way.

Regardless of where you stand on vocations as a parent, sister, brother, aunt, cousin, grandparent, etc… I would like to stress that ultimately, God knows your loved one far better than you do. He knows every strength, weakness, thought, heartbeat, and feeling as intimately as if it were His own. Taking all of these things and many more into account, he knows what vocation is best for this person. He knows the Martha’s from the Mary's. He knows which ones will profit most from inviting Him to their home and which ones will profit best from accepting an invitation to His home.

The world profits from doctors who speak out against abortion, just as it profits from religious sisters who pray for an end to abortion. The world profits from the missionaries just as it profits from those who pray for the world’s conversion. People today don’t really appreciate the power of prayer. However, as the stories of our saints will tell you, it is prayer that often leads to a small conversion in the heart of even the most hateful individual. Perhaps it was the prayers of the monastics that ultimately brought Blessed (and soon to be canonized) Pope John Paul II to Poland and ultimately helped spark the end of the USSR. Perhaps their prayers, united with JPII’s openness to God’s plans, made it possible to convert this area of the world when so many of the Martha’s out there had given up on sending missions here, etc.

I support my younger sister’s vocation, regardless of where it takes her. Yes, it may one day mean that she will live far away from me and we will not be able to see each other as often as I would like. However, it will also mean that my family will constantly be prayed for, even when I end up falling asleep mid-Rosary when I am on the train. It will mean that another young woman had the courage to say give God a wholehearted “yes” when He invited her to give Him her all. It will mean that regardless of how awful our world will get within my lifetime, there will be at least one more person out there in a community that is focused completely on God. God will have a resting place in the hearts of each religious, even when our hearts are tainted with the sins that come so easily in everyday life in an increasingly hostile world.

If you are reluctant to support a loved one’s vocation, please take a few moments to reflect on why you are reluctant and what you would wish for this individual. Is your reluctance selfless or selfish? Is your reluctance based on your own personal needs, or the needs of your loved one? Are you truly unwilling to give up a loved one to one that willingly gave His own son to the world so that you would be saved? Please consider supporting the vocation of your loved one and giving them all the love and help they need to pursue the mission that God laid out for them. It isn’t an easy road and they will need all the love and support they can get. 

Pax Vobiscum

Please pray for more vocations

Of Martha's and Mary's: A Reflection on Vocations Part I of II

From what I have seen and experienced, even when religion is accepted, the call to religious life can be treated as “throwing your life away.” In one of the last conversations I ever had with my mom, I had brought up the possibility of one day entering the religious life (something that had been my goal since I was a child). My mom, one of the most religious women I ever knew, responded with a question that stuck with me “Don’t you want to know your own children?” That question remained with me and I subconsciously found myself writing about parenting and children for my high school valedictory. Even though I am to be married this October, the questions still come up…

….”What if I had entered religious life?” 

.... “Was that an authentic calling?” 

…. “Can I consider my current path as my vocation?” 

…. “Can I still serve God on my current path?” 

…. 

My mom, God rest her soul, was an intelligent woman who could have done just about anything with her life had she been given the opportunities I had growing up. However, God had other plans for her. He gave her a family and she ended up devoting her life to this family. God gave her a husband and three children that would stretch the limits of her patience and demand far more of her than she ever thought herself capable of giving. To say she lived for her family would be an understatement. Yet, that is exactly what she did. She loved her family and did everything for us. As a result, I feel that she ended up living out the vocation that God had set aside for her. He had given her a family, sanctified her with a purgatory that consisted of having us all up, ready, and dressed for church and making sure all of us did well in school and never went to bed hungry. On top of battling mental illness and working a full-time job, she managed to raise a close-knit family that continues to support each other. 

God called her to be a mother, so that may be one of the reasons she was so reluctant to let one of her daughters enter religious life. She understood well the struggles that are associated with a call for marriage, but the blessings that came along with it were foremost in her mind. In her mind, motherhood was the best vocation and I know she only wanted the best for her daughters.

Fast-forward several years and I find myself breaking a difficult subject to my dad. My younger sister feels she is being called to religious life and is afraid to break it to my dad. We’re sitting in a little Portuguese café in Newark, NJ and my dad is taking it reasonably well. The family curse comes up (many are called to religious life…especially the men…but none of them ever make it out as priests or nuns), but my dad is more than happy. It turns out he had always wanted God to call at least one of his children to a vocation. He had secretly wished for his first child to be a boy and for this son to become a priest…just as my great- grandfather had wished for his son and his son had wished for the same. God had other plans. My dad never had a son and his eldest had never expressed any desire for religious life. Still, my dad was happy about my sister’s vocation.

Cistercian Coat of Arms
Source: Wikipedia

Fast-forward a few more years, a degree in theology, and a few “come and see” events, and my sister seems to have narrowed her gaze to a monastic order…the Cistercians in particular. Though she imagined herself being a missionary of sorts, it looks like God is calling her for a closer relationship to Him. I could not be happier for her, especially having read Saint Faustina Kowalka’s diary. It is these souls that Christ takes delight here on earth and these souls that put Christ at the center of their lives. There are no distractions in this life and this life demands everything you are and everything you could be.

As wonderful as mission life would have been for my sister, I could not imagine her in anything but monastic life…and I am over the moon that she is currently taking serious steps into possibly entering this order.

Not everyone, however, is as excited. Some think she is throwing her life away by not having a family of her own (if you ever say My Big Fat Greek Wedding…substitute Greek for Portuguese and you pretty much have the story of my life). Some think she must be out of her mind and are trying to convince her to get into a more lax order that isn’t as cut off from the world. Fortunately, no one has done her the dishonor of suggesting she join a dissident pantsuit “order.”

A few months ago, in the middle of all of my qualifying exam madness, I felt the need to go admire pretty things that are well above my price range. Sometimes when I get stressed out, I go window shopping….the more expensive and unattainable the items in the store, the better.

As I was window shopping, I caught up with an acquaintance and we eventually started talking about my sister and her vocation. At one point of the conversation, she expressed some concern about my sister’s vocation and wondered if my sister wouldn’t be more use to God outside in the world rather than inside of a convent. I thought she had a point, but the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-10:42.

"Now it came to pass as they went, that he entered into a certain town: and a certain woman named Martha, received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sitting also at the Lord' s feet, heard his word. But Martha was busy about much serving. Who stood and said: Lord, hast thou no care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? speak to her therefore, that she help me. And the Lord answering, said to her: Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about many things: But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her."

I told her that while my sister could make a great impact on the world by living a holy life, as my mother had done, I expressed an appreciation for monastic life. You see, we can be holy in many places and living situations. I can attempt to live a holy life in the laboratory just as my sister currently lives a holy life working as a religion teacher at an academy. However, as much as we attempt to keep God in the center of our lives, we have distractions. We have commitments that keep us from the holy lives we could live if we had the opportunity to live the monastic life.

Click here for Part II of this post

I must be doing something right

I don't like debating on the internet. I'm human, I get carried away, I don't like wasting time...and I get carried away. Especially on Twitter. This is part of the reason why I got rid of Twitter for a while. I've tried to behave on my new Twitter account. I've done a decent job of it too. Unfortunately for the pro-abortion movement...I tend to Tweet about the atrocities of abortion, and I tend to defend the unborn in any way that I can. I was involved in the recent #Gosnell Tweetfest and I tweeted and retweeted as much as I could to make sure the American people woke up and started demanding the truth about abortionists like Kermit Gosnell. 

Some "pro-choice" individuals didn't like this. A debate ensued...and just when I thought it was over... lo and behold, I get this particularly cheeky tweet.

A "pro-choice" individual trying to tell me not to have children for fear they will be indoctrinated...how precious....

Feel free to check out my twitter for the whole conversation leading up to this. In it you will find anti-Catholic bigotry, snarkiness (quite a bit from my end, to be honest with you), and plenty more to entertain you for a at least a minute or two. I won't put the whole thing here, because I had a hard enough time copy and pasting the tweet above. The point of the tweet fest was to bring abortionist Kermit Gosnell's "House of Horrors" to light. Essentially, this abortionist performed all manners of illegal abortion, in an incredibly unsanitary environment (patients got STDs from unclean equipment...THAT unsanitary). The good news is Gosnell is in court and enough tweets were generated to get the attention of the major news networks and even some celebrities. It took quite a bit of big network-shaming to turn this "local" news story into national news...but we succeeded. I can imagine how this must have felt for networks that tend to pretty much ignore March for Life....

Needless to say, my tweets may have bothered a few people. I imagine these people would would like to keep thinking that every abortion clinic out there is well-staffed, clean, and full of sparkling rainbows that lead to pots of gold birth control pills and condom-dispensing leprechauns. Unfortunately, due in part to the naivete of these pro-abortion lobby groups...there are plenty of awful abortion clinics open in the US (all abortion clinics are awful in my opinion, but some of them kill the mothers as well as the children due to inexperience, infection, malpractice, etc...making them even more awful). Much of this never hits the news...but I tend to stay updated on these things with Life Site News, Jill Stanek, Abby Johnson, 1Flesh,  and a few other decent sources.

In one of my tweets I mentioned that our current laws (and lobby groups, etc) allow seedy abortion clinics to continue operating. This was based on the fact that Gosnell's clinic had not been expected from 1993 to 2010 because there were Pennsylvania laws in place that allowed this to happen (which were lobbied-for by, you guessed it, people who feared such restriction and inspection laws would decrease access to abortion). As was mentioned quite often during the #Gosnell tweetfest, even nail salons are inspected more often than abortion clinics (at least in Pennsylvania until recent years).

If my tweets end up keeping people like Gosnell behind bars and away from desperate women, I will keep dealing with "pro-choice" trolls such as this Wildflower character. I may be throwing pearls before swine, but at the very least...people like this will only succeed in making themselves and their cause look incredibly biased, misinformed, and just plain foolish. Women deserve better than abortion and they certainly deserve better than clinics similar to Gosnell's.

Unfortunately, when people like Wildflower advocate for "more access to abortion" as opposed to more routine inspections and laws that would force clinics to operate under the same standards as a typical hospital....they only keep  more monsters in practice. Maybe one day they will realize this. Maybe one day they will truly see abortion for what it really is, the murder of an innocent child and the exploitation of a mother.

Until this happens, I will gladly keep making enemies.

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."

- Winston Churchill

Pax vobiscum.

We are ALL to blame

My heart goes out to Boston tonight...and as sad as I was to see so much horror come out of it today...I still consider Boston to be The Land of Greatness. I've yet to go to Boston because of my hectic schedule, but it is the homeland of the Red Sox and quite a few other things that simply make me happy.

Boston, I have always wanted to visit you and now I am even more determined to do so....because I have always wanted to go to Fenway and because I have always wanted to see the Dropkick Murphys there. And now, I will also have to visit to make it up to you.

The details are still emerging...but many minds have already resolved who it was that is to blame and how awful they are for being behind such atrocious acts. We have liberals blaming conservatives for their anti-liberal ways. We have conservatives blaming liberals for their anti-conservative ways. The non-religious are blaming the religious for advocating violence in the name of God. The religious are blaming the non-religious for advocating violence instead of God. The xenophobic nationalists are blaming the foreigners. The foreigners are blaming the xenophobic nationalists....ETC...ETC....ETC.

Within hours...or even minutes following this atrocious, disgusting attack on innocent lives...so many people were already on their soapbox condemning others for the sake of enter cause or ideology here. Who cares about the victims and their families if I can further vilify this person or that group? Who cares about whether I am 100% right or wrong as long as I can use this tragedy to further my own agenda.

This kind of attitude disgusts me. It disgusts me because, as caring or concerned as you are attempting to appear....you don't care. On top of that, you continue to propagate this cycle of senseless violence because you are unwilling to care. Whether or not you realize it, whenever you start pointing fingers for an act such as this...you are partly to blame for this tragedy. I'm guilty too because society today does all in its power to polarize us....to divide us...to separate us. For the sake of having the last laugh, we are more than willing to end friendships. For the sake of winning an argument, we are more than willing to dissolve relationships. For the sake of pride, jealousy, and every other vice imaginable, we are more than willing to enter arguments, battles, etc. As a result, as far as I'm concerned, we are all to blame for these atrocities. We are all to blame for every shooting. Every murder. Every bombing. Every war. Everything.

We live our lives assuming that we are right about everything. We live our lives as if our neighbors hate us simply because we disagree over some points. We hate each other and find so much fault in each other...and, because of this, we FAIL each other. We want to be right so badly, that we overlook any attempt at TRUE forgiveness and reconciliation. There are far too many senseless murders out there and far too many fingers pointing soon afterwards. When tragedy strikes, we often turn to blame in those quiet moments when we can either no longer help with the situation or simply want to keep ourselves occupied as we wait for news to surface from a murky, tumultuous sea of rumors. I have no idea who it was that was behind this particular attack.

I think we may end up finding out the culprit(s) soon...but, to be honest with you, I almost don't even want to know....because like it or not, a group of people will suddenly become the new target. If the person or people behind these attacks happen to be minority X, you can rest assured that this minority will soon be persecuted. If the person or people happens to be religion B, you can rest assured that this religion will soon be the next target.

We simply don't get it.

We are too full of ourselves that we never pause to truly reflect for a minute about the things we can do for our neighbor. Instead, we continually focus on what we can do for ourselves. Then we wonder where all of the senseless murders comes from...

I am sure that there were plenty of heroes out there today. Even the most cowardly among these heroes showed far more bravery than the person/people behind this disgusting attack on innocent people...and the finger pointers that came afterward

We simply DON'T GET the fact that all of this madness will continue until we finally snap out of it and start living for others rather than ourselves. For all you know, you could be the one whose act of kindness towards a stranger causes him/her to reconsider an act of violence. You could be the one whose act of love towards a religion/minority/culture/nation could inspire peaceful dialogue. You could be the next Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr, etc. if you ever decide to focus on changing yourself rather than pointing fingers.

Please consider performing an act of love in reparation for this atrocity and please keep all of the victims and their families in your prayers. While you are at it, pray for peace and the conversion of our hearts....so that we may finally (as a community, nation, world, etc) learn to love each other and not just ourselves.

Pax Vobiscum.

You are in my prayers Boston.