50 Years Later

Those of us who were alive on November 22, 1963 remember distinctly where we were when the news of President John F. Kennedy's assassination stunned us and marked the beginning of a huge change in behavior and thinking among us, a precursor to the more dramatic changes effected by 9/11.  For one thing, no one, even the president, was not invulnerable. For another, the energy, optimism, and passionate patriotism exemplified by this young president was deflated; caution, mistrust, fear and disrespect set the tone for the rebellion of the sixties, a decade whose turmoil still echoes 50 years later.
President Kennedy's youthfulness, courage, and daring inspired us who were in our early twenties, dubbed "the New Breed" by Fr. Andrew Greeley.  It was the era of "the New Frontier" and initiatives such as the Peace Corps captured our imagination and raised up men and women who with their lives answered the challenge, "Ask not what my country can do for me, but what I can do for my country."  Much to the credit of Kennedy's inspiration, the Peace Corps continues today, but leaders like him are scarce, if non-existent.
As we take time to remember the events of this day 50 years ago, it is also a time to pray for the country he loved so much, take stock of its losses and gains. and ask God for guidance in restoring the ideals which once thrived in a moment called Camelot.
Bro. Rene