There’s a lot of bad news out there. After a while, it might start to weigh you down. When we hear of innocent people suffering, people losing faith, and bad things happening in the world, it can be too much to bear.
The thing is, that’s not the whole story. If you dig deeper than the dramatic or exaggerated headlines, there’s a lot of good news and truth that is beautiful and joyful—stories that highlight the best of humanity. With everything going on in the world, Msgr. Stuart Swetland took a few minutes out of his show, Go Ask Your FatherTM, to share some uplifting news.
“In Columbus, Ohio, there was to be the Arnold Sports Festival, named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, which had bodybuilding as part of its competition. There was supposed to be 200,000 people coming to this and it was postponed because of concerns of contagion. And all of a sudden, the organizers had meals made for 200,000 guests and what to do with this? Well, they sent it on to Nashville where of course there had been the recent tornados where people were without food. They did it so first responders and those dealing with the aftermath of those tornados could be fed,” explained Msgr. Swetland.
Humanity seems to shine brighter when things get dark. When we face the most difficult situations, we see amazing examples of people reaching out to help neighbors in need.
Sometimes Catholics worry about the future of the Church as people leave the faith and turn away from God. But while we do sometimes hear of parishes closing, there are many areas of the country where the faith is alive, flourishing, and growing!
“Demographics and age of buildings and changing of city landscapes has caused, in some places, churches to merge or even parishes to close. But in many parts of our country, the Church is growing leaps and bounds. I know that’s true for the Charlotte Diocese, the Atlanta Diocese, the Savannah Diocese, many of the dioceses in Florida,” said Msgr. Swetland.
He shared some good news from Cleveland, Texas. “St. Mary’s Catholic Church celebrated this weekend a new building, a new church. They’re growing so quickly they’ve had to radically expand their parish!” They’re undergoing a multi-phase building process to meet the needs of their growing parish community. How’s that for great news!
Remember to look for the good in the world. Seek out light and truth and goodness and beauty. There is always reason to hope.
Pray, hope, and don’t worry. – Padre Pio
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