All God's Children

Life in Pine Ridge is tough. I had forgotten how tough until I attended a wake last night and looked around the meeting hall where it was held. Most of the faces had the distinct marks of alcoholism on them; at least one man had been drinking and swaggered toward the mourners to offer condolences. Age and alcohol had disfigured the faces of folks that I knew; tales of broken marriages, untimely deaths, jails, judges and lives gone askew saddened and shocked me. It was hard to look into the sad eyes that attempted to welcome me. A list of recent deaths and illnesses in the parish bulletin added to the challenge to find hope in what seemed so hopeless. However, when we handed out rosaries, all took them and were prayerfully attentive as we prayed it, and at Mass this morning, I was reminded that these people are God's children, created in his image and likeness, worthy of respect, dignity and love. Just seeing folks in that light removed the scars from their alcoholic faces and enabled their inner beauty to shine.
I also learned that there are real signs of hope in the recent graduating classes. There are now many "Gates Scholars", that is, students receiving full college scholarships from the Gates Foundation. Eighth graders are committing themselves to four years of summer school so that they might qualify for these scholarships. There IS a positive side to what seemed so negative last night. So often we need to be lowered in order to be lifted up. Perhaps the generation at the wake has hit that bottom, but their children have a better chance than they to be lifted up, and life "on the REZ" will gradually change for the better. So too does our discouragement at times hit bottom, before we can be lifted up back to optimism. God, have mercy on us and help us all.
Bro. Rene