Afghanistan crisis update:
Life after two years of Taliban rule
"Mary, the Mother who cared for Jesus, now cares with maternal affection and pain for this wounded world." (Laudato Si')
"But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2: 19)
Reflecting on the Assumption of Mary, Pope Francis writes in Laudato Si’,
“Carried up into heaven, she is the Mother and Queen of all creation. In her glorified body, together with the Risen Christ, part of creation has reached the fullness of its beauty. She treasures the entire life of Jesus in her heart (cf. Lk 2:19,51), and now understands the meaning of all things. Hence, we can ask her to enable us to look at this world with eyes of wisdom.” (Laudato Si #246)
Luke tells us twice in chapter 2 that Mary treasures and ponders the things that she has seen and heard in her heart. As we pray this mystery, perhaps we too want to take time to treasure what God has done in our lives and ponder where we might see his activity in our world.
Just as Mary’s life took place in Judea as part of a poor community under an oppressive Roman occupation, so too many people in our world today are marginalised and suffering.
The people of Afghanistan have endured years of conflict, political turmoil and poverty. Their situation has been made worse by the Taliban takeover, especially for women and girls. Now two thirds of the population require essential humanitarian assistance including 15.3 million children.
Yet, people still hold on to hope. A CAFOD partner who works with women and girls in Afghanistan, says:
“It has been a difficult and painful year for us all as Afghans. But it has not stopped us from surviving every day and fighting for the spark of light in the darkest days. History should not call any of the women who were left behind victims. Remember us as survivors, agents of change and peacebuilders.”
So, let’s ask Mary to enable us to look at this world with eyes of wisdom, so we might imitate her example of trusting faith and receptivity to the Spirit and strive to be agents of change and peacebuilders.
Pray the Our Father.
Pray a Hail Mary on each of the ten beads of the decade.
Pray the Glory Be.
You may also want to add the Fatima invocation
Pray for Afghanistan
Pray for peace in Afghanistan and throughout the world.