Sometimes
it is beyond our understanding to wrap our heads around a senseless act such as
that of the tragedy that happened at the end of the Boston marathon today. We often feel helpless and hopeless, knowing
we cannot stop such tragedies. The pain
is added when we realized that there are even more tragedies that go behind
mass media and into the silence. We
began to question God’s existence or if God is truly powerful and all good. I had my personal struggle back in 2004 when
the earthquake and tsunami struck South Asia.
I began to seriously dwell into the question, “Where is God when it
hurts?” It took my faith by storm and
before I knew it, I no longer believe in God.
To make a long story short, it took me years to fully reclaim my
faith. The problem of suffering as I
have realized is a problem for the belief as well as the non-belief. Abandoning my belief in God does not somehow make
it go away or any easier to handle. In
fact, taking God out of the picture made it worst. Without God, suffering becomes meaningless
and hopeless. I left my belief because I
did not see God amidst the tragedies.
Years later, I recognized that I was wrong.
I’m
writing not to offer any answers or new insights, but rather to remind
ourselves that we need to “turn to the light of Jesus Christ” in these times of
sorrow. Fred “Mister” Rogers once said, “When
I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to
me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will
always find people who are helping.’ To
this day, especially in times of ‘disasters,’ I remember my mother’s words and
I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many
caring people in this world.” Those “helpers”
are the light of Jesus, those “helpers” are Jesus. Jesus is always with it, this is especially
true in times of tragedies. Jesus was on
the grounds of the marathon carrying a child to safety. He was there tending to the injured through
the hands of first responders, doctors and nurses. He was there comforting the crying and the
scared. He was there patiently in line
to offer to donate blood. And he was
there welcoming those who lost their lives back to their heavenly home. God was present, just look at all the “helpers.”
It’s
unfortunate that we live in a world where news like these are not
uncommon. I don’t think anyone can ever
get used to it. But tragedies remind us,
as cliché as it may sound, that life is short.
You will never know what will happen tomorrow so always live lovingly
and to cherish your family, friends and loved ones. Life is too short to be filled with many
worries, unhappiness or fear. Appreciate
the things around you. Hug those that mean
the world to you. And tell those closest
to your heart that you love them.
May the souls of the departed rest in
peace. May God console the families and friends of those who lost their lives.
May God help all the injured heal, and give them and their families courage and
hope for the days ahead. May God guide the hands of the doctors and nurses. And
may God bless all the people of Boston. (Fr. James Martin, SJ)
