Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Need For Angels in Society!


The Catholic Website Here/Now has an article with a reminiscence of the past from a retired priest who wants us to be more angelic in our life here on earth.

In the past, school teachers were in charge of both day and night shifts. A common sight on Sundays in spring when they were on duty was a middle-aged woman sitting alone on a bench under a tree at the end of a playground. A woman in a well-dressed outfit and a hat with a brim, looking out over the playground and the classrooms beyond... 

Looking at such a scene, teachers could be imaged saying: 'Spring has come! Just as spring is said to be the women's season, when the vitality of spring arrives, one feels the urge to escape from the repetitive daily grind and return to the dream-filled days of the past. Of course, it's a short trip but an escape.

When autumn comes, men often go to the movies alone and drink alone at a food stall or a bar. Fall approaches with melancholy and a feeling of loneliness. That too is a runaway. It may have been only a few hours, but where does life go? His state of mind as he sighs and drinks a glass of alcohol is ultimately running away.

However, running away from home in his teens was not like that. He ran away from home when he was a teenager. He returned after a week. He was 17 years old, burdened by the guilt of being nothing more than a worthless human being. He wanted to throw away his useless existence, so he left home without a plan. 

On Christmas Eve in December, he went north from Busan Station on the railroad line in the city. He was going to a place where he would be cold and hungry, and where he had no one to ask for help. But when he got off at dawn with a ticket bought with all the money he had, he found himself in a desolate small station with a bleak landscape and biting cold weather. Moreover, the reality of hunger made him think only of returning home as the days passed.

No money in his pocket. From then on, he began the journey of struggling to return home. Surprisingly, many people appeared like angels and offered a helping hand. As he returned home after barely a week, he couldn’t help but think of the angels who helped him without asking or saying a word. He was truly grateful to these angels. 

When he returned home, he stopped at the church before going home and offered a prayer of thanks to God.  God silently accompanied him by the angels he met. He also had this vague realization— The core of the problem was not to compare himself to others, but to love and care for himself as he was…

So he wants to say this to all the teenagers wandering the streets or thinking of doing so to listen to his story. If you want to run away in a cool way. There are many reasons for running away, so he doesn't want to pretend to know them or fail to sympathize with reasons that go beyond imagination, but if you want to run away in a cool way and gain new strength to live a cool life in the world, then you want to face the difficulties as a God-given challenge and with courage. without running away.

Truly, runaway teenagers need many angels to stand with them. The moment they leave their homes and schools, what they need immediately is the hand of an angel. These angels are needed to lead them to the well of water and guide them to the light, so they do not fall for the many temptations all around. What if we reach out to the youth and say: "If you dream of running away, listen to my story and have hope to face the future."