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| Barbara Winter |
This
weekend our parish priest is away in the Philippines with his family because
his father died two weeks ago. For the lay presided services tonight and
tomorrow I am giving the reflection.
It
happens that the Gospel reading in the Catholic church
for these services is from Matthew and ironically involves a lawyer.
In
the Gospel Jesus is asked by the lawyer:
“Teacher,
which commandment in the law is the
greatest?”
Jesus answers:
“You
shall love the Lord, your God,
with
all your heart,with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
He continues his answer with the second
greatest commandment:
“You
shall love your neighbour as yourself.”
As
I prepared my reflection I thought about how to love your neighbour.
An
Ottawa lawyer, Barbara Winter, a
lawyer and former member of the Canadian Naval Reserve, provided a powerful
example in her actions after the shooting of the young Canadian soldier
standing guard at the National War Memorial. She had just taken a couple of
photos and was walking away from the War Memorial when she heard the shots. Instead
of running away she turned back to the Memorial to see if she could help. She
joined 4 other Canadians trying to save Corporal Nathan Cirillo.
As part of her assistance she provided CPR. She
also prayed, saying the Our Father, and spoke directly to the young wounded
soldier telling him:
“Your family
loves you. Your parents are so proud of you. Your military family loves you.
All the people here, we're working so hard for you. Everybody loves you."
"You are
so loved."
When asked why she spoke of love in those terrible
moments she said:
“When you are dying, you need to be told how loved you are."
Her story is more fully told at:
The
internet has created new friends. Through blogging I have neighbours in fellow bloggers and readers
I did not know until I started this blog. How do you love your neighbour on the internet? I cannot reach out in the virtual world to hug and be hugged by you but I can use words. To my new friends, my neighbours around the world, I love you.
Bill - What a powerful and meaningful post. My heart truly goes out to those directly affected by the tragedies of this past week, and to all Canadians, who stand together as one in the face of this terrorism. I'm fairly certain I speak for my fellow countrymen and women in saying that we stand with you in grief and solidarity. Perhaps if we all saw our neighbours as people we should love, the hatred that causes this kind of awfulness would stop.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. In times of trouble friends and neighbours stand together. I appreciate your words of support for Canada and your encouragement that we love all our neighbours.
DeleteBill, thanks for sharing this post about Barbara Winter. It was very affecting. I saw the news about the terror attack in Ottawa on CNN and BBC and recalled a similar attack on the Indian federal parliament in New Delhi a decade ago. I keep hope in the fact that the people who think and act destructively are in a minority. As the mystics say, love is the most potent weapon that can help us bury our differences and bring all of humanity together.
ReplyDeletePrashant: Thanks for the comment. Almost every nation has had to cope with terror attacks. You set us all a worthy goal in using love to come together around the world.
DeleteBill, that is a beautiful post and a beautiful message to send out. I had not been following the news and would not have heard about this moving example of courage and love if you had not written about it here.
ReplyDeleteI remember when my grandfather died from a heart attack, my father (his son-in-law) sat beside him on the floor while waiting for medical help to arrive and talked to him and told him he loved him. He didn't know if he was heard but he wanted Pop to know he was loved.
TracyK: Thank you for the kind words.
DeleteI was moved by the story of your grandfather. Many people who have survived a crisis have said they heard people around them even though they could not respond.
Your father is a special man.
I distinctly remember my grand father passing away. He did on my 23rd birthday It makes me more of a person to help out now that my own father is in the hospital.
ReplyDeleteScott: Thanks for the comment. I am sure every birthday brings forth memories of your grandfather. I pray your father recovers.
DeleteGreat post Bill, thank you.
ReplyDeleteJose Igancio: Thank you. I appreciate hearing from you.
DeleteThank you for a lovely post Bill. LIke you I value the community we have created with our blogging, and I'm sure we are all keeping your country in our thoughts and prayers in your time of trouble.
ReplyDeleteMoira: Thanks for the comment. With blogging I can reach out to the world. Canada can use some extra prayers this week.
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