I sat down to write my last column for 2012 and intended to do a little mini year-in-review about our diocese and take a quick look ahead into the new year. Of course, I am incredibly excited about the new digital version of The Observer and the ongoing embrace and advances of our diocese in technology and social media. The more we work to advance and move forward, the better and more affordably we can serve the people of God, which is our sole and joyful purpose.
So fueled with that excitement, I had my calendar out and began reliving the year and all the tasks that kept us so busy here in diocesan administration and at The Observer.
But then there was terrible news of the crash of the Rockford REACT medical helicopter, news of a tragic accident involving two of my fellow parishioners in Pecatonica and the news of yet another senseless, bloody massacre by a violent gunman with no regard for his life or any others; this time in Connecticut at an elementary school. I watched the President of the United States talk about the tragedy while his heart and the nation’s broke.
It became very difficult then to relive, in this space, some of the overwhelming joy of welcoming our new Bishop David J. Malloy, celebrating the 18 years of service given to us by Bishop Emeritus Thomas G. Doran, and the life and service of our long-retired Bishop Arthur J. O’Neill as he turned 95 years young. The question became … should I abandon the joy of 2012 because of the pain or recount it despite it? In pondering the direction my words should go, I came to the realization that life is about all of this: undeniable pain and heartbreak and joy and there is no abandoning one for the other. This too is our faith.
The Lord came among us as a wondrous child born of poor and humble parents, an occasion we celebrate each year with joy and exultation. And that same Lord suffered a bloody, violent and public death, an occasion we commemorate in humility, penance and, yes, grief. But then, from the depths of the sorrow of the grave, our Lord Jesus Christ rose from death to life, an occasion that brings us comfort and greater still … hope.
Perhaps this can help us deal with both the joy and the sadness that confronts this earthly life for all of us. Certainly, our faith cannot provide all the answers as to why such horrendous acts are committed by and against God’s children, but perhaps it can help us achieve some sense of balance as we move forward in our days, days that will certainly be filled with more joys and heartbreaking sorrows.
So to end this column and this year of 2012, I think we would be better served to raise our voice rather than our glass as we welcome a new year. Here are some words to help us pray.
Lord God, help us to be better people for you and each other.
Lord God, help us to reach out to all those hearts that are broken in sorrow with our words, prayers and deeds.
Lord God, help us to stop violence by shunning it in the little things we say and do, in our entertainment, and the media we consume.
Lord God, help us to become a nation whose laws and policies are life-giving and life-affirming.
Lord God, help us to spend less time condemning others and more time seeking to understand.
Lord God, help us to respect life; and I mean really respect life. Help us see that assaults on life can never be okay. Help us not to kill each other no matter where we are: in the womb, in our homes, shops, classrooms, hospitals or nursing homes.
Lord God, help us strengthen and keep the sacrament of matrimony.
Lord God, help us find, strengthen and promote peace in our families, in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our workplaces, and in our hearts.
Lord God, help us to love each other, especially those with whom we disagree.
Lord God, help us to forgive others and seek forgiveness for ourselves.
Lord God, help our world — all its nations and cultures.
Lord God, help us help each other.
Lord God, help us find you, love you, thank you and keep you close.
Lord God, help us ... simply, help us.
Merry Christmas and thank you dear readers.