Wednesday, October 4, 2017

The Solace of Love


" Brothers and sisters: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in Love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my Joy by being of the same mind, with the same Love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than ourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others." --[ Philippians 2: 1-11].


The week of October 1, 2107 has been heartbreaking. On 10:08 p.m. on Sunday, October 1, 2017 a shooter, holed up in a Las Vegas hotel suite, shot down at thousands of concertgoers in an open-air venue.

Our horrified human minds keep reviewing the scenes of the injured and deceased. We go over and over in our minds the number of people at the concert (approximately 22,000), the number of wounded sent to the hospital ( over 500), the number killed (59 at last count).

To speak of the acts of Love and pure heroism at the scene seems almost sacrilegious. How can we even contemplate celebrating the love and sacrifice of others, how can we dare to utter anything that hints of something good coming out of this tragedy?

But to speak of the Evil AND the Good is not only possible -- but necessary.

We do not know WHY this man planned this attack for so long, gathering his weapons cache of over 40 weapons plus bomb-making materials for over 20 years. Was it because of some mental illness? Because of today's easy access to guns? Because of the breakdown of his relationships? Because of some financial distress? Or do we simply call it Evil?

We may never know the reason. Even if we did, we will most likely dismiss the "reason" as sick, unjustifiable, insufficient.

The Faith community prays in circumstances such as this. Sometimes, we are mocked for this. It is as if people believe that persons of Faith can ONLY pray. But true Faith Warriors also WORK -- for Peace, for Justice, for Love.

We pray because, while it is too late to save those who died from their wounds, we CAN commend their souls, and pray for their families. We pray because others are seriously wounded and they need our Hope, our Love-- as do their family members, and those in the medical community who are caring for them.

In the end, we MUST celebrate those who acted unselfishly, and regarded others as more important than themselves ---

*** Two men actually stole a car in order to transport victims to the hospital, not thinking or caring about possible charges against them for the theft.
*** A husband threw himself over his wife and shielded her from the barrage. He died doing so.
*** A woman, under fire herself, packed her truck with victims and drove them to safety.
*** People in the crowd used sections of fence, rolling carts and wheelbarrows as makeshift stretchers.
*** A young woman held the hand of a man for hours, as he lay dying.
*** A young nurse from a nearby clinic rushed to the hospital where she used to work, to help.
*** Veterans, off-duty EMT's and off-duty police rushed INTO the scene to give aid to the victims, when they could have run away.
*** People stood in line for an entire day, in order to give blood. When they did not reach the head of the line, they came back the next day.

When you think about it, ALL that we HAVE is Love, for one another. Love is THE greatest weapon against violence, against Hate, against chaos. Love cannot always prevent these heinous acts. BUT Love can overcome our suffering. When we think only of ourselves, our world falls apart.

"If there is any encouragement, any solace in Love, any compassion and mercy, COMPLETE my Joy by being of the same mind, with the same Love, united in one heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or vainglory (ego); rather, humbly regard others as more important than ourselves, each looking out not for our own interests, but for those of others."

There is JOY in Love, and our Light shall banish the darkness.

(c) Spiritual Devotional 2017. All Rights Reserved.





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