By God's grace, we are here
By Father Larry Kramer of St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church
Part of the job of the news media is to capture our attention. This they do by emphasizing the disasters they report. Here are some encouraging signs I see among all the tragic events.
Arabic unrest: Although vast numbers of private citizens have insisted on the removal of their dictators, so far none of them has attempted an assassination. I believe this is a first in human history.
Japan: Although no amount of money can replace even one of the many lives lost, these resourceful people are busy with reconstruction and correction of serious planning errors.
“Developed” countries: Instead of the usual saber rattling and gridlock, these nations, of which our country is one, are banding together to address the slaughter of populations by their own supposed leaders, and trying to do this by peaceful means.
Indiana legislature: Serious ideological divisions are being addressed with a calm, reasoned approach even amid all the predictable verbal sniping that is such a part of the process. A surprising number of politicians are willing to work together for necessary compromises.
To hear some radio talk shows, one might be tempted to think that God made a mistake in creating the human race. God obviously disagrees with this view. We are still here and, in spite of our many weaknesses, not doing such a bad job after all, thanks to divine grace and our obvious cooperation with it.
Part of the job of the news media is to capture our attention. This they do by emphasizing the disasters they report. Here are some encouraging signs I see among all the tragic events.
Arabic unrest: Although vast numbers of private citizens have insisted on the removal of their dictators, so far none of them has attempted an assassination. I believe this is a first in human history.
Japan: Although no amount of money can replace even one of the many lives lost, these resourceful people are busy with reconstruction and correction of serious planning errors.
“Developed” countries: Instead of the usual saber rattling and gridlock, these nations, of which our country is one, are banding together to address the slaughter of populations by their own supposed leaders, and trying to do this by peaceful means.
Indiana legislature: Serious ideological divisions are being addressed with a calm, reasoned approach even amid all the predictable verbal sniping that is such a part of the process. A surprising number of politicians are willing to work together for necessary compromises.
To hear some radio talk shows, one might be tempted to think that God made a mistake in creating the human race. God obviously disagrees with this view. We are still here and, in spite of our many weaknesses, not doing such a bad job after all, thanks to divine grace and our obvious cooperation with it.