I have been trying to write this essay since the events of the bombing on Monday at the Boston Marathon. I had the honor of bringing the healing ministry of the Church to people at the family assistance center in Boston on Tuesday and then to meet with a wonderful group of area college students, many who were at the finish line on Monday, and the common phrase I heard was “I don’t know how to feel.”
Now, as I write this, I am glued to the television watching the man hunt unfold and learning that another person, a MIT Police Officer, was killed in the early hours of the morning by who we now know as Russians from Chechnya.
Events such as these always bring out the best in people. We saw images of police, fire, and EMS running into the scene that every fiber of their being was telling them to run from. We have heard stories of the doctors and other medical professionals, who volunteer their time, to staff the medical tent saving lives on the street in Boston. Neighbors along the route of the marathon opening their doors to runners and allowing them to use phones to call loved ones to let them know they were safe.
I talked with many runners on Tuesday and they all said the same thing, “I will be back next year” that is the determination of the American people that this will not break us. At the interfaith service yesterday Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told the assembled crowd, “Nothing will take us down because we take care of one another.”
It is easy, at times like these, to turn to hate for what has happened and we want to blame someone or some group for what has happened. Hate is what caused this! It appears that the 2 men involved in this were young, one is identified as being 19 years old, they were not born wanting to do this hatred drove them to this. Hate is easy, love is difficult. Hatred and evil can only be overcome with love, the love of Jesus Christ, the ultimate peace maker.
It is times like these that I find it helpful to pray. It is hard to understand what has happened and why it has happened and we may never know. Pray for all of those involved in the ever changing world. The light of Christ will shine in the darkness and we need to bring that light.
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