Today we celebrate D-Day! It was 70 years ago today that a bunch of American soldiers, mostly young men, landed on the beaches of Normandy.
How blessed are we, as well as the rest of the world, that these young men were willing to give up their lives for total strangers across the Atlantic?
Today's Gospel reminds us that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us total strangers. What a beautiful thing that God did for us? To send his only son to die for us. Also what a beautiful coincidence that today's reading would happen to fall on such a sacred day. How well do these two occurrences tie in with one another? Coincidence? We don't think so. Only God-incidences all around.
Another gift from God, the absolutely gorgeous day that we are enjoying today. As we enjoy this beautiful day in the park, or in our own backyards, not all of us can see the correlation between between the two; or, even relate to it. But one thing is almost certain. If faced with the challenge, each one of us would lay down our life for that special person(s) in our lives.
The Sacred Place, a Catholic online website, sums it up for us in today's reflection. "If we attune ourselves to look and listen, we may find God present within us, all around us, and speaking to us constantly. But if we don't bother to look, it will seem that there is nothing to be seen.
Here's how the nineteenth-century British poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wryly described humans, who so often miss what lies plainly in front of us.
Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes-
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries."
What eactly is Ms. Browning referring to here? When she says, "But only he who sees, takes off his shoes," she is referring to the time when Moses, upon hearing God's word, took off his shoes as he approached the sacred ground of the Burning Bush, (or, God).
Will you be one of those that complain and just pluck away at things; or will you sit on the grass, take off your shoes and contemplate on the goodness of God? Will you remember the brave young men, who sacrificed everything when they made the ultimate sacrifice 70 years ago?
Omaha Beach in Normandy is the perfect example of a sacred place. Let us all pay homage by remembering and honoring those who gave everything for the freedoms of others.
RIP heroes who sacrifice everything on D-Day!
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