Hope from the Spirit

In these past weeks with mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa, I have been devastated, along with many other Americans. Finding hope has been challenging for many of us. The National Rifle Association and others continue to promote firearms as being necessary for survival and recreation. 

This, while other countries have outlawed assault rifles and other guns. They rarely have mass slaughters in any of these places. 

On June 5, Christians celebrated Pentecost -- the coming of the Holy Spirit. We know the Spirit continues to renew the earth with the gifts of faith, hope, charity and more. When we see children playing and laughing in the park, we cannot help but smile. When we see the sun breaking through the clouds, it lifts our spirits. When we see a son or daughter or other relative succeed in school, we feel God shining his love on us. We feel blessed, we feel hopeful. 

The Holy Spirit gives us the courage to go on after the dark, cruel times of killings and murders. This is a time to plant seeds of hope that the world will be a better place for future generations, that it will soon be a time when our children can live safely in joy and peace. 

But we have to make it happen. We have to push to change gun laws now, before any more mass shootings. Assault rifles need to be banned, the age for gun licenses needs to raised, and actions must be taken regarding signs of mental illness.

Pope Francis reminds us, "Abounding in hope means never being discouraged; it means hoping 'against hope,' that is, hoping even when every human reason to hope is lacking, as it was for Abram when God asked him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, and as it was still more, for the Virgin Mary under the cross of Jesus."