Just over this past weekend, a terrible earthquake devastated Haiti, again. And the Taliban have marched into Kabul after the US pulled out of Afghanistan. Covid cases continue to rise, and there is not enough medical personnel to attend the critical patients.
These, plus economical and social instability, and many other stressors might make us think the psalmist might not have been talking about the real world. The world where we toil and suffer.
Psalm 85 is a national lament reminding God of past favors and forgiveness. In this psalm, a speaker represents the people who wait humbly with open hearts.
We too need to remember to humble ourselves, and ask Our Lord for forgiveness, ask for His help, and trust in Him.
Something that has helped me in the past to overcome that "why me?" stage of lamentation, is to go and help those in need.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that is the grave moral responsibility of rich nations to help those in need. (CCC 2438 and 2439).
The difficult part is to find a charity that won't promote values opposite of the Catholic Church or proselytize in a different religion.
Still, with a little bit of homework we ask different organizations directly if they need help such as the Missionaries of Charity, the Redemptorists, Father Giovanni Scalese, a Barnabite priest in Kabul, the food banks in our own cities, etc.
Let's keep praying to God for the end of the pandemic. Pray specially the Breathing Jesus prayer. Inhale, hold your breath for a couple of seconds. Exhale JEE - SUUS. Do this throughout the day. Ask Jesus to live in your heart.
At the same time, reach out and help those in need. Let us not be like that rich man that only cared about himself, and neglected Lazarus the beggar (Lk 16:19).
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