40 / 88
Thursday of the ThirdWeek of Advent
Genesis 49:2, 8-10
Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4AB, 7-8, 17
Mattthew:1-17
Reflection
As I write this, Pope Francis is leaving Cuba and coming toWashing-
ton D.C. for his first visit to the United States. He has visited with
both Rauel and Fidel Castro, and has said mass for thousands on the
island. It is a sign of hope for these people that he has been wel-
comed.
I focus on this, and I focus on the psalm in this day’s readings. The re-
sponse is “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forev-
er.” During the Advent season, while we wait, and hope and pray, jus-
tice and peace for all people of the world is something as Catholics we
should zero in on, and we should take an active part in making that
happen. Too many of our brothers and sisters all over the world suf-
fer from mistreatment, hunger, disease, war, famine and many other
calamities too numerous to mention. Having the clean drinking water,
which we are privileged to consume every day, is a blessing many mil-
lions do not have. Disasters, many caused by global warming, affect
people in our home country every day, not to mention those in other
countries.
While these problems are too overwhelming for one person, one per-
son taking action becomes many when we all do it. If you are taking
action, do not lose hope. It may seem that you are a drop in the buck-
et, and your efforts are too small, but jus-
tice and peace cannot flourish without
the actions of one, and the example of
one. Pope Francis himself is just one.
He is high profile, to be sure, but he is just
one who brings hope to many. You can
do the same.