How do we make sense of it all?

We live in a rapidly changing world. Every hour of every day we are met by dramatic new developments affecting us personally, affecting us as a nation, as a Church and as a global community. News of these events is delivered to us moment by moment through traditional forms of media as well as social media. The images and narratives are powerful. They often are disturbing and sometimes misleading. 

As I write today, the world is still coming to grips with news of the shocking collapse of Afghanistan, the humanitarian crisis in Haiti and the global efforts to stop the spread of COVID, which is morphing and spreading and showing few signs of relenting. We are struggling with long-simmering tensions over race that in recent months have demanded attention and resolution. This is the narrative of the never-ending news cycle that floods our consciousness.

This is just a very small sample of the events affecting us all. These and other factors have coincided with a spike in mental health crises in our communities as we struggle to find ways to process and cope with news and tensions that can become overwhelming. 

Fueled by faulty ideological agendas, the narratives being shaped to account for these events often fall short. It’s not just about politics or economics. It’s not just about race or gender. It’s not just about power. Ideological explanations fall short to the extent that they reject the Christian view of the human person and the Christian understanding of history and redemption, which, for believers, is the precious lens through which we can find meaning and hope in a world overshadowed by darkness, violence and despair. 

The world may be overshadowed by these, but it has not been abandoned to them. We believe that we are created in the image and likeness of God who loves us and who has a plan for our lives and our world. 

Though sin has entered the world as a rejection of God’s loving plan for our happiness, bringing death in its wake, God has not abandoned us to death. God has entered into our history, committing himself to us by covenant and ultimately sending his Son to redeem us. Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, became one of us to share our weakness and take on our burdens and the guilt of our sins. Though innocent himself, he suffered and died for us. He conquered sin and death and rose victorious. 

Jesus Christ has redeemed human history. It has direction and a purpose that will be fulfilled when Christ comes again in glory to set all things right. As believers we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to see the world and history through the eyes of Christ and to love the world and one another with the heart of Christ. We are his agents in the world to manifest his justice and his mercy. This is our narrative. This is a perspective on history that overcomes despair and restores hope.

As Catholics and Christians, we have something to share that the world needs, especially in times such as these. We have been given the gift of faith, hope and love. We have been entrusted with an understanding of God’s plan for the world that he created out of love and redeemed from sin and death that all might find happiness, justice and lasting peace beyond the tragedies and suffering that drive the news cycle. It is the Church’s service to the world to share this good news, to be light for the world.


A young man looks on outside a damaged home in Les Cayes, Haiti, following a magnitude 7.2 earthquake. CNS photo/Henry Romero, Reuters.


HOW TO HELP

Catholic Relief Services
n Donate online: crs.org/supporthaiti
n Donate by phone: (877) HELP‑CRS
n Donate by mail: Haiti Response,
Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090,
Baltimore, MD 21297‑0303

U.S. Catholic Bishops Disaster Fund
n Donate online: archokc.org/special

Catholic Charities USA
n Donate online: catholiccharitiesusa.org
n Donate by phone: (800) 919-9338
Donate by mail: 2050 Ballenger Ave., Ste. 400,
Alexandria, VA 22314
n Donate by e-mail: [email protected]