"OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN...".

IMAGE: a father desperate to wrest his son from the jaws of an alligator...

"...and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a firstborn son."...today's 1st reading.

IMAGE parents grieving over the slaughter of their children at PULSE night club.

"On that day the mourning in Jerusalem shall be great...."First reading.

 Today as we honor fathers living and deceased we stand in solifdarity and prayer with those who hae expeienced unimaginable grief in the tragic loss of sons and daughters.

Today's Gospel:

"If anyone wishes to come after me, they must take up their cross daily..."

Some crosses are inevitable...but it is a double burden when  their suffering can  and should be avoided:

The alligator pond:surely shows negligance by Disney who would not  diminish their IMAGE by posting "Allagator Warning" signs.

Such signs would not LOOK GOOD for Disney's image, and so a child was sacrificed to business priorities!

 And then there is the NRA-National Rifle Association which "owns" too many senators by their large contributions.

The NRA opposes and stone walls against ANY and Every attempt in congress to curtail gun violence under the guise of "they want to take away our second amendment rights."

Nonsense! Firing an automatic weapon into a crowd of innocents is NOT a right of anyone. But so far congress bows to them every time.

Tommorow, MONDAY, June 20,  the Senators are going to have to stand up and be counted.

Two measures will be voted that would help keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of future terrorists.

[And the automatic rifle used at Pulse was indeed a weapon of mass destruction.]

 TODAY is YOUR opportunity to stand up and be counted: Contact your senators supporting these measures to curtail the sale of automatic weapons to future terrorists.

It is easy to do: just google:

"How do I send an email to Senator...so and so?"

and you will be directed to your two senators.

Do it now.

 Saint Paul in today's Second Reading reminds us that through our baptism, that we are all "children of God."

But we are all brothers and sisters in another fundamental way: by our shared humanity.

Whether straight or gay, white or black, Republicans or Democrats, we share humanity and we are our brothers and sisters keepers. We do not stand alone although some demogogs would separate us into rival camps.

 And so we pray:

.Our Father

deliver us from evil:

from the closed minded NRA,

from business which values image over safety,

from evil that poisons the minds of terrorists.

Help us to stand in solidarity with those who mourn.

And give us the courage to speak out

for we are a reptresentative democracy,

and our voices need to be heard.

May they echo through the halls of congress

and cry out: Enough!

Enough!

Amen