Today's Grace
I ask for the grace to recall and reverence the beauty in the cities, towns and villages where I have lived and where I am living now.
Scripture/Reading
Reading via the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops website:
Isaiah 55:10-11
Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
Jesuit Father Pedro Arrupe, 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima from "Pedro Arrupe: Essential Writings" by Kevin Burke (Orbis Books, 2004):
On the morning of August 6, 1945, something happened to break the monotony of the previous months. At about 7:55 in the morning a B-29 appeared ... I was in my room with another priest at 8:15 when suddenly we saw a blinding light, like a flash of magnesium. As I opened the door, which faced the city, we heard a formidable explosion similar to the blast of a hurricane ... We climbed a hill to get a better view. From there we could see a ruined city: before us was a decimated Hiroshima...
Since the houses were made of wood, paper and straw and it was at a time when the first meal of the day was being prepared in all the kitchens, the flames contacting the electric current turned the entire city into one enormous lake of fire within two and one half hours...
We did the only thing that could be done in the presence of such mass slaughter; we fell on our knees and prayed for guidance, as we were destitute of all human help ... In spite of the urgency of our work, we had first stopped to celebrate our masses. Assuredly, it is in such moments of tragedy that we felt God most near to us.
Reflection Questions
- Where is the fertility and the fruit in the places I have lived?
- How does the Word of God bring these places to life?
- Where do I find beauty, if I am living now or have lived and ministered in cities where violence, drugs and material poverty are rampant? How does that beauty affect me? I talk with God about this.
Reflection
Song: "Every Grain of Sand" by Bob Dylan
The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (above left) and the Boston College School of
Theology and Minsitry (above right), where Jesuits in the United States complete theology studies.
Other Resources
View the daily readings at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops website.
