The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. -Wisdom 3:1-3
Journal Entry: (Dining Hall after breakfast) Sunday, September 21, 2014 8am CST
I experienced another disturbing dream last night which morphed into a retro-drama. In my nocturnal sleep, my mind transported back to high school. It was near graduation and I discovered my GPA dropped. I'd no longer be a Top-Ten senior! I received a C in Chemistry. My mom and I went to the assistant principal for a grade review. Discrepancies were discovered but not enough to raise my GPA. I felt anxious realizing I'd no longer be able to get into college. Then, the dream changed to a new location - the middle of an old run down warehouse. I quit my current job but decided to speak to my boss about getting it back. All of these marketing folks were partying at a bar inside this shack of a watering hole. I bought everybody a round of drinks in hopes of an invite to return to the company. No such luck. Later, I found myself at my mom's old apartment where we grew up. She wanted me to fix her computer. I ended up hiring some random guy to show me how. I woke up at 2 am from this endless dreaming, hearing the click of the air conditioner. Once again, thank God this dream wasn't for real.......God is so random! He surprises us every single day with his presence, even in weird, far-out, and crazy dreams we experience in slumber.....
I've been paying a lot of attention to the trees, the birds, and the insects this weekend. What a menagerie of wildness and intrigue. Last night while sipping a cup of hot tea outside the dining area, I noticed two geckos crawling on a support beam. A large spider appeared as a potential tasty snack. Poor gecko. He missed the kill! The spider ran away in a flash. The gecko was left to lick the crumbles of nearby gnats.
In our own lives, we often "go for the kill" when we're upset with someone or something. We moan and groan, complain until others are tired of hearing us. They turn a deaf ear! That's when we decide to take actions into our own hands. We often get in trouble either with the law; forge enemies against us, or feel guilt ridden. Any time we attempt to act against God's will, we are left sad and depressed. There's a difference between killing for survival/self-defense and killing for selfish readings.
Last night during evening mass, Father told us a story about ISIS troops going into homes, asking the children the following question: "Will you stop believing in Jesus and renounce him?" Every one of these children said NO; they would continue to worship Christianity. As a result, these children were each beheaded in front of their own families! These innocent children became instant martyrs for the faith. I wanted to cry after I heard this story. This is one of those situations most people won't hear about on the local news. It's too gut wrenching, too vile, and too horrific. I pray every single day the Islamic State militant group will be destroyed for good.
There's so much evil in the world. It's been there since Adam and Eve first took a bite out of the forbidden fruit. Evil seems to get worse over the years. Maybe it's because the Media are constantly flooding us with depressing news stories.
I keep everyone suffering from religious persecution at the forefront of my prayers. Innocent children dying makes my heart bleed with immense sorrow. What a tremendous loss for the families.
A Prayer - For Those Persecuted for Their Faith
Dear Lord, please protect those persecuted for their belief in You! Pour out your love and grace so there will be conversions of hearts. No more senseless violence. No more children killed. No more families suffering. Wrap the persecuted in your warm embrace. Amen.
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