Powerful People

 

I'm reading a book by Clint Hill, who was the secret service agent who jumped on the back of the car in which President and Mrs. Kennedy were riding when the President was assassinated.

It is a first-hand account by Hill, who was one of the main agents responsible for taking care of Jackie Kennedy throughout that trip.

The throngs of people who turned out to see them throughout the day was amazing, and the people clearly adored both of them.

It was almost a sentimental, romanticized relationship that connected the President and his wife with the people. Something we just do not see today. The closest we have come, I think, was with President and Mrs. Obama, who, like Jackie, was (and still is), beloved as much, if not more than, the former President himself.

Anyway, these powerful men (and women) raised hopes and offered visions which the citizenry needed; something we still need today.

As we raise the next generation of leaders, we should look to the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 5, and the Beatitudes, for direction. In the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us a prescription for the problems we face in this world. They are worth contemplating and activating in our lives.

Be meek and righteous. Be merciful. Be clean of heart. Be a peacemaker.

Pick one and start doing what you can to make the world a better place (you can find more in Matthew). While it may not be easy to put these into practice, it is in the Beatitudes that we find a path to true hope and real vision.

Janet Cassidy

janetcassidy.com

 

Follow/like me on Facebook at:   

https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/