MELT THE FROZEN, WARM THE CHILL

 These lines are from the Veni, Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit) prayer which Catholics either say or listen to being sung on Pentecost Sunday, the day when the Holy Spirit was breathed onto the disciples and onto the church at large. It is a beautiful prayer and worth checking out for the whole text. While listening to it being sung last Sunday, those words struck me as being so apropos for this time in our country's dark history.

 

   Whom do I want to have "melted" so that they can be more aware of the needs of others, have more compassion, and realize that in the end--we are all one? (This could be a damn long list!)

--I want every person in the GOP in Congress to have their frozen hearts melted. I want them to see how people in this country (esp. children, vets, LGBTQ+, the poor, elderly, and disabled) are being crushed by Trump's economic policies. Not to mention, the Big, Beautiful Bill which is killing us.

 

--I want MAGA Christians (and isn't that a contradiction in terms?) to have their hearts melted so they can see that their beliefs about "the other," immigrants, people of color, folks in the Queer community, and possibly women in general are unfounded and downright dangerous. I saw a piece on FB lately which said that DT has consolidated his hold over the GOP but that his popularity is below freezing in one poll, beneath 32% that is. He may have a tight grip, but his base of support is getting smaller and smaller.

--I would like anyone in countries abroad who think DT's policies are "good," to see that in fact they are destructive and immoral. A friend of mine in Devon who had gone to some restaurant with a male friend told me that as he parked the car (an Aston Martin!) he remarked, "Donald Trump has really gotten the immigrant problem sorted!" She protested and vowed that she would never go anywhere with him again. "Sorted" indeed! What universe does he inhabit?

--I hope that any people in ICE would have their hearts unclenched and warmed by God's good grace; that they would realize their culpability in fascism and enforcing illegal seizures on the most vulnerable. 

I pray daily for those in detention, although my small efforts probably have little effect. And yet a recent FB post said that detention facilities depend upon the communities they inhabit for water, sewage, law enforcement, governance, and more. So that local folks can have an impact in protesting these dreadful sites as we have seen in the Delaney Detention Center in Newark, N.J. I only hope that we will have authentic, legal Midterms, not stolen by DT as the 2024 election was.

 

WARMING THE CHILL:

--I pray that anyone in Detention will find ways of surviving, that they will experience some grace from visitors, other inmates, and clergy. I pray those who want it may receive the Eucharist, along with medical care and better food.

--I hope that all of the children who have been so terribly impacted by DT's policies will find some cheer, that those around them will show them compassion, love, and pay for their lunches and health care if necessary and possible.

--I pray that USAID will be brought back to life in the next administration (Please God, let it be a Democratic president!),

 and that all of the vulnerable, poor people in other countries would then receive the aid which HAD been voted on by Congress before bloody Musk got ahold of it.

--I wish for all who have lost faith in our country, God, and humanity might find some sparks of hope which would warm them once again. We need people with vibrant hearts to work in bringing this country back from ruin and setting us on the right path once again.

--I hope that many of the lapsed Catholics will see the extraordinary leadership of Pope Leo the 14th and think, "Well, maybe I could go back to Mass. Let's see." I already know that his moral and spiritual witness in our world is heartening so many people, not just religious folks, but atheists, agnostics, and fallen-away folks. God knew what She was doing when Leo was elected Pope! 

 

  I know there are more things to write about, but that is enough to go on for now.  I have to acknowledge that my own heart needs to be warmed as well, to give me hope in the goodness of so many in this country and world, and to see that this present time is not forever.

   The next blog will feature this title: "T.I.T.--TRUMP-INDUCED TICS" as I talk about my own very nervous tic which only started during DT.2. Stay tuned for more info!