We have seen throughout history and recently as well that wars are terrible. An African proverb says, "when two
elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers". In wars, innocent people bear the cost; the people do not want the war. They pay the price with their lives; people die, and reality as they know it changes drastically. So how can people stay calm and not be terrified?
The Covid-19 pandemic shocked our world. The world changed, and our lives changed. It was as if we were living on another planet. We are still shocked and terrified. People died, people became sick, and many will live with the side effects of having had Covid-19 for a long time.
South Africa has witnessed different wars too. However, recently there have been other terrifying issues that we are facing. More and more women are being killed by their partners, sexual abuse and rape of minors and
vulnerable people are on the rise, violent crimes are committed, and people are being killed for protecting possessions they worked hard for. We are terrified.
We conflict with our family members; we cannot agree on issues affecting the well-being of our families. We fight and argue with each other like we are not related. We end up cutting ties with family members because of the unwillingness to come together. The same goes for our faith-based communities.
What is the Lord inviting us to when we face these circumstances? St. Ignatius of Loyola encourages us to find God in all things. How might we find God in what sure seems like terrifying times? Let the words of our Lord comfort you today “do not be
terrified”.
