In His Real Presence
Sponsored
Catholic365 is sponsored by
Road to Purity
“Love One Another.” John 13:34
Two thousand years ago, an innocent man was killed by crucifixion. Twenty-four years ago, 2,977 innocent people were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack. Today, an innocent young man was killed by a gunshot wound. The common denominator: hatred.
Jesus was killed two thousand years ago because His views were different from those of the Pharisees. Jesus exposed them. He said that the Pharisees “preach but they do not practice… All their works are performed to be seen… They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi’” (Matthew 23:3, 5-7). The Pharisees hated the fact that Jesus was revealing their true colors before the eyes of the people. When Jesus was among them, the people could see that Jesus was righteous and holy. They could see the difference between Him and the fake Pharisees. Therefore, the Pharisees hated Him, and they couldn’t wait to get rid of Him. They crucified an innocent man because of hatred.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists of the Islamist organization al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial aircraft and crashed two of them into the World Trade Center buildings in New York. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia. The fourth plane crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania. It was the worst attack on American soil. Our president at the time, George W. Bush, said in a speech to Congress nine days after the attacks: “They attacked us because they hate us for our freedoms. They hate our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.” The terrorists, under the evil leadership of Osama Bin Laden, killed 2,977 innocent people because of hatred.
Today, Charlie Kirk, a young 31-year-old, was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University. Kirk founded Turning Point USA, an organization that promotes conservative youth activism at high school and college campuses. Kirk conducted an annual tour of college campuses where he engaged in face-to-face debates with students. Even though we still don’t know the motive for the shooting, it is believed that it is related to political violence. It is horrifying to realize that we are living in a society so unconscionably violent that if someone does not agree with our views, they could kill us. Kirk believed in freedom of speech. His debates were not violent. He was a defender of freedom. But those that did not agree with him hated him, and one of them killed him.
Two thousand years since Jesus came, and we are still killing each other because of hatred. My parents brought me to this country in 1974, and what I loved more than anything was that as opposed to my birth country of Cuba, here I could be free to pray and speak my mind openly and without fear. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. If we openly express our opinions and someone disagrees with us, we may be ridiculed, or even worse, we may be killed. It was heartbreaking that Jesus was mocked, abused, and eventually crucified because He spoke His mind. The 9/11 attacks were heartbreaking because they showed us the evil consequences of hatred. And the death of Charlie Kirk is heartbreaking because as the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “A young family has been robbed of a father and a husband.” He spoke his mind, and he paid with the ultimate sacrifice.
We must choose love, not hatred. Nothing justifies hatred. Sometimes it seems like hatred is all around us. Hate destroys. Love heals. Hate divides. Love unites. Choosing love over hate is a choice. We cannot undo what has already happened, but we can make a difference going forward. We may not be able to change the world, but we can honor the legacy of all of those that gave their lives for what they believed. Charlie Kirk touched a lot of people, and today, thousands of young people are praying and mourning his death. The 9/11 terror attacks united America like it had not been united for a very long time. And Jesus changed the world because He gave His life for us because He loved us. Therefore, let us change the common denominator from hatred to love.
Copyright © 2025 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
My name is Christy Romero and I am a cradle Catholic. I met my husband, Rafael, 46 years ago on a Youth Encounter, and we got married four years later. We have three young adult children who are all happily married, and two grandsons that have stolen our hearts. Even though I have always loved writing, God took me on a different career path. I graduated with a degree in Accounting in 1986, and thirty years ago, I established my practice to help small businesses and individuals with their tax filings. Last year, I decided to retire to spend more time with my growing family, and to dedicate more time to writing. I created a blog to share my meditations ten years ago, and I have a faithful following of family and friends. Now, I feel God urging me to share the Good News of the Church that He established over 2,000 years ago with a larger audience. In the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta: “I am just a little pencil in the hand of a writing God sending a love letter to the world.” You can find more of my writings at https://christysmeditations.blogspot.com/
