Holocaust Remembrance Day
My Brothers and Sisters,
I am writing this day about Holocaust Remembrance Day. Although I am a bit late in writing this article as I have recently discovered that it occurred this year on April 8th. Please accept my apologies as I do not possess a Jewish calendar.
I also believe that the events that led to this day of Remembrance, a message that is valid the entire year.
The Shoah,(holocaust) is an event that was so horrific in its scope and the depravity and outright mass murder of the Jews only because they were Jews is incomprehensible to any person with any morality whatsoever.
The extermination of 6 million men, women, and children only because of their religious faith. It vividly demonstrates the evil that exists in the world. Satan and his minions were hard at work and celebrating while these acts against humanity were occurring.
My brothers and sisters, let us pray with our Jewish brethren for those who were killed in this human tragedy and let us pray as well for the survivors as they have to live with the memories of the horrors that they had to endure in the Nazi Death Camps with names that we all are familiar with.
Let us also remember those Germans, Poles, French and others that helped to save Jews from extermination. For they have been so honored by having a tree planted in the Avenue of the Righteous as determined by the Yad Vashem. I think that the person who is the most well known in this is Oskar Schindler.
In the Talmud, it is written; “Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world; and whoever rescues a single life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the entire world”
The Nazis destroyed 6 million innocent lives, while there were those few people who put their lives on the line and saved lives.
So let us be as one people together and pray:
Lord, we honor and remember those that were taken from us during this time of unbridled evil. We pray that you cradle them in your loving arms in heaven as you know that they died because of their faith in you. We also pray that you be with the survivors, grant them the healing of mind and spirit that only you can provide them. Grant them the peace that they so richly deserve. We ask this in the name of your Son our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
These are times where we as children of God, need to be even more vigilant. The Symbols of Hate are flying again. The hated Swastika is being flown in the United States and once again in Germany although not openly in Germany because that flag is outlawed. Anti-Semitism and bigotry in general is on the rise not only across the country but world-wide.
We must come together in this struggle, Jews, Christians, and Muslims. We must come together to ensure that another Auschwitz never, ever happens again.
Let us pray:
Lord, we have seen the horrors that occurred during the Holocaust, the death camps, the mass graves before the death camps, the memorials of Auschwitz death camp for all to see. We pray that with your divine guidance and through the Holy Spirit we will be victorious over the rising hatred and bigotry that is once again rearing its ugly head in the world. We pray that with your assistance that there will not be another Auschwitz. We ask this in the name of your Son our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesus told his disciples,
Peace be with you, my peace I give you.
May God bless you all,
Bishop Roy Stevens III, SSFX, DD
