It’s a good day to start to make a more peaceful tomorrow
Reflections on the readings for Memorial Day, Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (May 28, 2018): 1 PT 1:3-9; PS 111:1-2, 5-6, 9-10; MK 10:17-27
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
God asks a great deal from many of His people.
We think of the martyrs who have offered their lives out of their devotion to our faith. And we also recognize those who died for the sake of our country. On this Memorial Day we need to take a moment to appreciate those who fought and “gave their lives that that nation might live.” President Abraham Lincoln said these words in his address at the dedication of the cemetery for those who fell at Gettysburg in the Civil War. It was the care and decorating of graves after that terrible conflict that gave rise to what was known then as Decoration Day and now Memorial Day.
This is a time to remember the dead from too many wars. It is a time to pray for them and for all those who serve this nation now. But we also need to examine our own commitment to peace and justice for today and for tomorrow. We must personally care for our community, our country – our world. As children of God and followers of Christ we must make an ongoing effort to respect our brothers and sisters and to help build His Kingdom. “I will praise the Lord with all my heart in the assembled congregation of the upright. Great are the works of the Lord… He sent release to His people, decreed His covenant forever” (Psalm 111:1-2, 9). Let us thank God for His many blessings, including all those who gave everything for us who live in this cherished land.
Suggested missionary action: Let us pray on this Memorial Day for all who have gone before us, especially those who gave their lives to preserve this nation and its people.