For example - this morning one of them (who shall remain nameless) was on facebook and "likes" this comment made by one of their friends (try not to laugh)....
"i (sic) send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the gulf of mexico (sic) and its surroundings. To the whales, pelicans, dolphins, fish, shellfish, plankton, coral, algae, and all living creatures...I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you...I love you." Dr. Masaru Emoto's healing prayer for the Gulf.
I bristled when I read this. Then I remembered Madame Leseurs words...
"What most people call "hope" is nothing but pleasant anticipation, which has as its reverse disappointment. It is here that the teaching of Christ again reveals its sublime and consoling features, more plainly perhaps than elsewhere. It is the great source of faith, and "no man cometh to the Father" but by Him, that is, Jesus Christ. Through charity, it gives us all our energy for good, and that peculiarly passionate love which is implied by the very word charity."
"The peace revealed by Christ is to a Christian not only a precious grace, but the foundation of all his spiritual life. Without it, his interior life would break down at the smallest attack; without it, there would be no strength, no living unity in the Church; without it, no one could ever exert a real and lasting influence on his neighbours or on the souls with whom, in the course of his existence, his own soul comes in contact."
I particularly liked the following passage as it really addresses the problem of how to connect to the kids....
"Our outer life is the reproduction of our inner life, and the visible part of us reflects what is unseen; we radiate our souls, so to say, and, when they are centers of light and warmth, other souls need only to be brought into contact with them in order to be warmed and enlightened. We give out, often unknown to ourselves, what we carry within us; let us strive to increase daily this reserve store of faith and quiet charity."
It reminds me of this verse from 1 Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..."
I will just keep loving the kids where they are at. I will keep praying for mercy and their salvation and sanctification. I think it was St. Ambrose that said "a child of such tears will not be lost." AMEN
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