That's what the headlines said last Saturday. In a way it felt familiar. The thirst for information, for any new details. The striking images of grief. The prayers that unite a community.
But it's different too. To see the fence around the soccer field where I played every day after school corralling students with their hands over their heads. To feel the pride swell, knowing that Warriors really do take care of one another. To hug a friend whose daughter is wrestling with the effects of being inside.
My whole family was together last night at a prayer service at St. Thomas More, amidst good friends and strangers, members of a community that have this awful tragedy in common. Together we joined our intentions to create a chain that is stronger than each individual, a visual reminder of the power of the Communion of Saints and of our need for each other and for God.
For me, the question is not so much how a good God can let evil like this happen. Rather I often wonder why it takes something like this to trigger the show of support and love that is already there. Why we wait for something awful to remind us how important we are for one another and how we cannot do this alone. Why I was so quick to rush to the adoration chapel last Friday when I have so many chances to go there every week and don't. Why it doesn't take any cajoling to get the family to sit together last night, but otherwise trying to arrange a family outing is like herding cats. Hopefully this can be a step towards making God's light evident every day, not just when we are threatened by darkness.
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| The prayers of our community |
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