In the wake of yet another attack by the Islamic state, this time against the people of France, my heart aches -- not only for those whose lives were taken from them last night, or for those whose lives will forever be devastatingly changed, but also for humanity as whole.
Yes, we must stand by France as they recover from this attack, and yes the viral #PrayForParis is touching and is hopefully making people more mindful and prayerful towards those affected, but there is a greater trend present here. This attack was not only on Paris, nor was it only on the Western world. It was yet another attack against humanity -- which has become an increasingly popular target among our enemies over the last 15 years.
As people, it is our duty to stand up and defend our persecuted brothers and sisters throughout the world. Yes, Friday's attack on Paris was truly atrocious, and there are definite consequences that must be invoked. But, it is one utterly unacceptable event among thousands occurring around the world. Why, then, do we pay less attention to the marginalized? Why do we pay less attention to those forced into human trafficking? Why do we pay less attention to those who are ripped from their homes every day and forced to flee in order to survive?
Crimes against humanity are rampant--not just through Al Qaeda or ISIS, but through every organization, every regime, every army, and every person who even so much as supports these horrible, inscrutable evils. What does it say about us if we only pledge our allegiance to the Western peoples who are being attacked? What does it say about us if we only bring attention to the horrors that occur among our allies, or are brought about by our number one enemy right now? What can we say about those who are being bought and sold every day, beaten and killed, starved, tortured, or forced to commit such atrocities themselves for fear of paying the ultimate price? Do we not have a fundamental responsibility towards them, as well?
My fellow Catholics and I believe that we are our brothers' keepers. We believe that we have a fundamental responsibility toward others because of our shared humanity. C.S. Lewis explains, "free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having." Evil is quite obviously possible and present throughout the world, so we must work--even in our every day lives--to bring love, goodness, and ultimately joy to our world to counteract it, or there won't be much of a world left to love. It doesn't take much from each one of us if we all actively choose the good in everything we do, big and small.
So, yes, let's stand with France. Let's pray for Paris. Let's pray for our brothers and sisters throughout the world who suffer such evils. Let's work to make goodness and love a greater presence in our world, because today we are not only French--today, we are human.
