19 December. Read, reflect, share, pray. Children and war.  Grandad Joseph and Granny Mabel knew a bit about war, as they had experienced some political fighting in their own part of the country, just as they knew was happening elsewhere, with children so often the innocent sufferers. How could the children be compensated?

Granny shared a story. “Imagine what it would be like for children to travel from all over the world, from near and far, meeting up with others and finally ending up altogether from different countries in Jesus’ birthplace, in time for his birthday. This is what happened to Busi a young boy from Shoboshobane, a small village in the old kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal, where one Christmas, when he was just a baby, a very sad thing happened. Different clans had been fighting amongst themselves for a long time. Things came to a head that December. On Christmas eve, no one would have expected it, but when many of the local people had gathered in one of the bigger houses to pray together there was a sudden loud noise and a crowd of men with spears and assegais rushed into the village and began attacking, beating people and stabbing them. The local men were not prepared for this and could not defend their people. Quickly the battle was over, the attackers fled and many villagers were left dead or seriously wounded. Busi, whose full name is Sibusiso, meaning blessing, was one of the few children who survived with his mother. The survivors of the massacre fled into the hills and later moved on to different places, leaving their village abandoned, as if there was a curse on it.  Years later it still lay, overgrown with grass and weeds, roofless, empty shells of homes.  “It’s a tiny bit like what is happening in Gaza in the Holy Land,” she sighed. “Let’s wait and hear more of the story tomorrow.”

Scripture: I will hear what the Lord God speaks, he speaks of peace for his people and his faithful.  PS 85.  Pope Francis together with the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in 2019 in Abu Dhabi: In the name of victims of wars, persecution and injustice we declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue.  FT 285.  Never has humanity had such power over itself, yet nothing ensures that it will be used wisely. FT 258