"Do Not Weep"

There is much weeping these days as more shootings take the lives of innocent people and leave their families in shock and sorrow.  Even those of us not directly connected with the murdered victims feel the urge to weep at the rampant disregard for human life we see so increasingly in our nation and world. The first recorded murder is found in the Book of Genesis when Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy, so the pattern is not new, yet even with the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." and with the teachings of love that flowed so genuinely from the lips of Jesus, the killings go on.  Blessed Pope John Paul II referred to it as "a culture of death" from abortion to war, to mercy killing.
When Jesus and the disciples came across the weeping widow in the village of Nain, he felt her pain, and told her not to weep. No less today does he feel the pain of those who lose loved ones, especially random victims of violence, and repeats, "Do not weep."  As he raised the dead son to life and returned him to his mother out of pure compassion, so too can he raise our "dead" society and bring it back to life, for in raising that lad, he showed us that there is HOPE, even when it seems that all is done, over and buried.  May we hear him say to us, "Do not weep" as we look at our past, our mistakes, and proceed into the future with hope.
Bro. Rene
An important visitor arrived just before I could publish this for Tuesday, so this will appear on Wednesday.