The best response I can give to terrorists is to go on with normal life. They want to dictate terms and disrupt order. My best answer is “no.”
I don’t care whether the terrorists are political or personal. They might be working in concert or working alone. Perhaps an assassin is after a single person, or perhaps mass murder is the goal. Fear and capitulation from survivors and witnesses will suit their purposes.
Please, in the face of all that’s been in the news, join me in hope. That’s our job.
Go to Mass. We need to worship and petition God together, especially in days like these. Go to Adoration as well. We need silence with the Lord. Noise will still be waiting for us when we leave the sanctuary.
Live your life. Sweep the floor, fix a meal, change the diapers. Do your homework, go to work, get together with friends.
Skip posting a hot take. (I’m trying. Really.)
Plant a hyacinth bulb or two or dozen outside, if you’re lucky enough to have a yard. My bulbs often do nothing but feed chipmunks, but I plant them anyway. I trust that spring will come.
This isn’t ignoring the news or wishing it away. It’s staying in touch with permanent and eternal things. It’s doing my best to cultivate courage, rather than bravado, leavened with prudence. Once I’ve tended to the little things, and not before, I can give thought to bigger and more public actions.
May God grant rest and mercy to all who have died at the hands of people committed to terrorism. May His Spirit convert the hearts of all who commit violence. May Christ be with us as we choose how to respond to atrocities.
May your mercy, Lord, be upon us; as we put our hope in you. (Psalm 33:22, New American Bible)
I’m glad new subscribers have come on board. My thanks to readers who have found things worth sharing from Braided Trails.
A paid subscription via Substack isn’t the only way you can support this work (although I’d be grateful!). You can make a one-time or occasional donation via Buy Me a Coffee. Think of it as dropping by an old-style newsstand to pick up the day’s paper.
As I shared in the last edition of Braided Trails, I walked 66 miles to mark my 66th birthday. As promised, I’ve posted a 3-parter entitled “One way to celebrate” over at Granite State Walker. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Maybe you’ll get some ideas for your own birthday celebrations.
One of the things I did before that trip was to find out if a church along my way would have an hour of Eucharistic Adoration sometime when I was around. (When I’m on a multi-day hike I always keep one set of clothes reasonably clean for such occasions.) Yes! For that, I’m grateful to the community at All Saints Church in Lancaster, New Hampshire.
Enjoy what’s left of summer. I like the chilly mornings around here, hinting at fall. I’m ready for it.