Forgotten Tragedies .

Today during Palm Sunday mass during the homily the priest reminded us all to continue to pray for the families of the massacred children from Newton, Connecticut. Though this was in the news quite recently, only a few months ago, isn't is amazing how quickly the general public forgets about it?

There are some things that will never really go out of mind, things like 9.11. But for those uninvolved in the more local tragedies, society expresses their condolences for what they may deem an appropriate amount of time, whether that is through donations or otherwise, and they are more than happy to move on with their lives from that point on. Just to make note, I am totally guilty of this too!

It is far too easy to write a check, or write a letter to someone or even post something on Facebook or Twitter recognizing sadness and expressing how you feel to the world. And yet, it seems that after doing one simple little action that we have been acquitted of our responsibility to be there for those people, continue supporting them and encouraging them and sharing in the struggles. There is something very wrong with that and until today, I had never even realized it was happening.

Though it's hard to remember something when it doesn't really affect your daily life. In my case, Hurricane Sandy is something that will affect my daily life upon returning to Jersey. Many of the boardwalks that once existed along the miles of ocean in New Jersey were destroyed, washed away, or damaged. Rebuilding something like that will take years. Now, to put things in perspective, I'm even from this area, and I still have done squat to help. I had intended to volunteer in rebuilding or cleanup efforts while I was home for winter break and let it sit on the back burner the entire time, content to only tell people, "Yes, I'm planning on getting involved."

In so many cases, actions speak louder than words. If you know people suffering from some sort of tragedy in their lives, speak up and let them know you're there if they need you. Too many prayers and cries for help go unheard. Too many souls are lost in their despair, unable to dig themselves out of a hole. But if we all make just a small change in our lives, perhaps we can all lend a helping hand and get those people out of their rut.

walk with a focus .

The priest's homily today at mass was pretty good. Today's gospel story took place recently after Jesus fed the crowds of 5000 with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. At this point in time, he had a bunch of people following him around all over the place. But the priest explained that many of these people were following in hopes that their mouths would continue to get fed. But Jesus explained that it was important to follow for the right reasons. He even lost some disciples because of it; they just decided that they were following for the wrong reasons I guess.

manna from heaven .

Today was the first Sunday back at St. Andrews, which is the Catholic church I attend in Clemson. It was nice to be welcomed back into a place where everyone sings loud and proud, prays all together and just rejoices in general. Even at the 8am mass, which is what I usually like to go to, things were lively.