Remember

This Month of November is a special time set by the Church to remember and pray for those who have gone before us. Today we especially remember those people in the armed forces who give up their lives so that we may have freedom. It especially remembers those from the two world wars but there are still members of the armed forces fighting in troubled places of the world.

The gospel says at the end that “Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for him all men are in fact alive.” But we can see that there are many places in the world where both men and women and children actually have no life and have very little opportunity to be alive. We must constantly thank God and thank these brave people who have given us the opportunity to live life to the full and have all the benefits of a free and democratic society even if it does not feel like it sometimes.

 The word Catholic means universal. We belong to a universal Church by virtue of our baptism we are all part of a wider family. This means that we should a keen social concern for our brothers and sisters. This can happen both on the local level as well as the international level. Look especially at the Glenlogie project. We have had an unprecedented number of bedding, towels, food and offers of help. It has been a real joy to see the care of this community for others who are less fortunate than ourselves. It is our chance to give a little life back to those who struggle.

While I was in the Holy land I was struck time and time again about what the word Catholic means. We also need to look internationally. We need a healthy social concern for those who are living in poverty and lack of freedom in other parts of the world. And it makes me angry because everyone should have the chance of a decent life. But, it is not as easy to support them as it is to support those in the local area. But, there is also a response that we as Christians can do. Although war and conflict is wrong and should always strive for peaceful means without bloodshed. It is sometimes necessary this is especially true in the last two world wars. So we should on this weekend of remembrance stop and pray for those who are doing the impossible job in those parts of the world where conflict is rife. We should also pray for the victims on both sides especially those who are caught in the middle. But also where we can we  should try and do something about our brothers and sisters who suffer in different parts of the world.