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November 17, 2025“When you hear of wars and insurrections do not be terrified. . . .There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place. . . .but I myself will give you wisdom.”
land, Palestine, Mother Teresa came to the area with the intent of saving the lives of nearly forty children in a makeshift hospital in the midst of ongoing bombing. As she would go on to say, “They were miserable, so beautiful.”All of the children were disabled, many severely so, but the real tragedy was if their lives were considered expendable. Days went by without any hint of a pause in the shooting, bombing and violence between the two sides. Yet, she believed. Within two days of her arrival there was a temporary lull in the violence. Despite the warnings of various bishops to abandon such a dangerous undertaking, she was transported alongside four International Red Cross vehicles through the war zone into a ravaged sector of Beirut, staying at a convent with other Missionary of Charity sisters. They were protecting and administering necessary care for the children, many of whom could not walk. With the fragile lull in the fighting still holding, Mother Teresa brought the children back to a hospital and a home where they could be treated, without the fear of injury or death looming over them. She avoided any hint of politics when asked about the experience, choosing the words of St. Francis as a means to convey the hope of peace and protection of the most vulnerable.But I myself will give you wisdom,” Jesus said. Has there ever been a period of peace between all nations, absence of natural disasters, times without famine, diseases or calamities?
“ All is‘amplified’more so in our lives today with the advent of technology that gives us immediate updates and access to events near and at a distance. We cannot escape hearing or acknowledging circumstances in the world that are concerning and very often, daunting.Yet, intertwined within all such distressing news of events happening around us there is the reassuring omnipotence of our Creator, and the abiding presence of his Son, Christ Jesus in our personal lives, endeavors and relationships. Predictions of the apocalypse aside, we each have the wisdom, as did Mother Teresa, taking opportunities to bring forth hope and prudence through the inspiration of our Christian faith nurtured by the grace of the Eucharist.Wars, large and small, will rage on, famines will continue to surface in various areas, natural disasters will occur, but faith gives us the wisdom to speak with hope, to believe we each have certain blessings to share with others, to act with the intent to lift up the God given dignity of another. As quoted from the Jewish Mishnah toward the end of the movie, Schindler’s List, " And whosoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved the entire world." Or as our third president of the United States said, "Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Skill is knowing how to do it. Virtue is doing it."As a retreat leader reminded us several times over,“Don’t anticipate; participate.” Acknowledging the news stories of events near and far that are troubling, to say the least
we can either anticipate further violence and natural disasters or we can participate wisely, embracing the immutable grace of our Savior, bringing forth the Light within ourselves and before others.We welcome our Bishop, John Keehner, as he presides at our Sunday liturgies. Though we are on the far side of the diocese, Bishop Keehner will recognize a strong presence of faith within our Ascension Parish, the spirit of Christian hospitality, and a unique character within our Catholic community in Boone County. We are grateful for his time and presence shared within our parish and in the Eucharist.God Bless, Fr. TimFYI: "When one door of happiness closes, another one opens; but we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us." (Helen Keller)