In writing a blog entitled "Let's Keep It Real", topics typically deal with the "real" of everyday type struggles and situations. Today however, nothing can be more real than the living nightmare of losing a loved one, a child no less. Especially in the wake and destruction of senseless violence.Today our world woke up to the news of a young person who, once again, lost their way and took out their anger and frustrations by shooting first their mother, and then driving to an elementary school and killing close to twenty children. As these grand scale violent outburst are happening more and more in the last few years, the truth is, it never becomes less shocking or easier to deal with in any way.
In today's tragic occurrence, the inevitable questions will be raised. What drove this young man to do the unthinkable? Were there warning signs? What did we miss? The biggest question of all that we may never have an answer to is Why?. Why would he kill his own mother? Why would he then go to her school and kill children??? These are tough questions that unfortunately don't have answers that we can know for sure. We can ( and probably will) spend days at a time speculating but we cannot know the answers. The question "Why?" is a logical and rational question to ask, but these kind of situations are neither logical nor rational.
Along with those questions, other issues will be raised as well. I can almost guarantee this will renew the anti gun sentiment and will provide fodder for the political side of regulation and things. As horrible as it sounds that a tragedy like this will be used on either side of political lines it really is inevitable because it is a perceived consequence of a lack of action. On the other side of things, it is inevitable that people will wonder: Where was God in all this? The same people who don't want prayer allowed in schools, who don't want Christmas scenes in public places will ask where our God was in all this and how could He allow this kind of evil to happen?
Innocence was stolen that day. Though we can't know why, and we can't
stop every bad thing that happens, what we can do is respond and react
as best as we can. The truth is, God was right there with those victims. He was there in the classroom next to the one being attacked with the teacher who kept telling her students how much she loved them. He was with the response teams of the police and fire department. And He was and is with the family members and friends who are there to comfort the loved ones of the victims.
I am not writing this as a "We need to put God back in schools!" piece, as this is neither the time nor the place for such a discussion. I am writing this as a piece to get us to evaluate where we are. During the Homily for the Immaculate Conception Mass last week, our priest told us that God's question to Adam in the garden after he had eaten the fruit was for us today as well. "Where are you?" In times like these it is easier to ask where God is, when maybe we need to be asking where are we in relation to Him?
Whether for good, or for evil, we cannot know the hearts of men. But it is precisely in times such as these that we need to turn to the One who is the Great Comforter. And in turning to God and being comforted in Him, He asks us to be His Face to others that need it. Whether in good times or bad, dream or nightmare, where is God? Right here in our midst.
