No matter who you are, what you believe, or where you stand on the current events in our country, this time in history is a time we will all look back on and remember.
What happened yesterday in Phoenix, Scottsdale, San Jose, Chicago, Tampa, and many other places is heartbreaking. This situation is hitting close to home for many people. For me, it’s knowing that some of my friends have had to post up outside their businesses and bear arms in the midst of the chaos. Many individuals have committed criminal acts—thieving, looting, and rioting—under the guise of “protesting” and have perverted the rightful movement against injustice in our country.
As a practicing Catholic, especially with today being Sunday, I’ve turned to prayer and God’s love and wisdom to fight against the vengeful feelings I have toward these criminals. My faith has pushed me to use the power of the pen—not physical retribution—to share a message of hope with the public.
We are starting to see people on both sides of politics, social issues, and economic security banding together to protect our community—the light of God’s love abounds even in this dark situation. People are uniting to uphold the amendments protected by our Constitution to fight against the destruction of our social fabric.
Throughout history, there have been many instances of suppression and injustice. However, the most powerful movements have come from love and sacrifice. Jesus Christ died for our sins at the hands of community and government leaders. And what did His most avid followers, His disciples, do? They spread the Good News of our Lord with their lives at stake.
How does that tie into what’s happening today?
It is clear that there are current social issues that need serious attention and true focus—injustices against minority groups and injustice from a multitude of levels in government, public services, and more. There needs to be serious accountability measures on a local and national level for public servants to whom we’ve granted trust to protect our community members.
While we cannot sit back and watch anarchy and chaos engulf our community, we do have a duty as Christians to respond with love, peace, and hope, to spread the Good News, to remind our country that God’s grace and justice will prevail.
As a man of Catholic faith and a local small business owner where my passion is to help the underserved, here’s the opportunity at hand: I call for all of our community—no matter your race, religion, creed, politics, or economic background—to come together in service. Educate yourself on the current events, call a friend, support a local charity, talk to people who agree and disagree with you on the current events and have civil discussions, pray, learn about how you can make a difference in the causes you care about.
It’s up to us to heal together in a peaceful way. We have an opportunity to respond with love, hope and healing during these difficult times.
The devil has us exactly where he wants us—isolated (due to COVID-19) and in fear (because of the protesting and riots). Let us turn our isolation into communion and our fear into hope.
God willing, we will find a peaceful solution and prevail.
May God bless you.
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Written on May 31, 2020 by Jimmy Flores, TLI Class of 2019