With evil staring at us stark in the face, what should we do?
When evil strikes, sometimes with such gut-wrenching and heart-rending intensity as what happened in Newtown, we fold down over in utter helplessness. This is the mystery of evil. Evil is real; it exists but it is impossible for us to fully fathom why. Life is likewise a mystery. It is great to be alive – a present we did not ask for nor truly deserve. In life, we have both good times and bad times but still in all it remains a wonderful experience to be grateful for. We are here and alive instead of being not here and non-existent. Goodness likewise exists and, like evil and life itself, it is a mystery. Life can sometimes be very difficult and challenging and even precarious. But people everywhere still strive to be good, to care for others and to give up personal comforts to share with others.
I know that evil is real. I may not fully understand why it exists but I will not give in to its blandishments nor cower in fear and hopelessness before its brutishness. I know that goodness is for real. I may sometime feel that goodness is no match for the evil in this world but I will always choose to do good and spend my life in love and service to others. I am grateful for the gift of life. I still seeking the answer to why I am here but even as I search for meaning I will cherish every moment of life I can share with people I care for. In the face of such mysteries, I believe that goodness is stronger that evil and that life is stronger than death. And armed with that faith, I will always choose goodness over evil and life over death.
Newtown is evil visited upon us. I do not know the victims but I will make room for them in my mind and my heart, grateful for the lives they lived and celebrating the good deeds they have left behind. I pray for everyone of them:
Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female (age 6)
Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male (age 7)
Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female (age 6)
Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female (age 7)
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female (age 6)
Dylan Hockley, 03/08/06, male (age 6)
Madeleine F. Hsu, 07/10/06, female (age 6)
Catherine V. Hubbard, 06/08/06, female (age 6)
Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male (age 7)
Jesse Lewis, 06/30/06, male (age 6)
James Mattioli, 03/22/06, male (age 6)
Grace McDonnell, 11/04/05, female (age 7)
Emilie Parker, 05/12/06, female (age 6)
Jack Pinto, 05/06/06, male (age 6)
Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male (age 6)
Caroline Previdi, 09/07/06, female (age 6)
Jessica Rekos, 05/10/06, female (age 6)
Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female (age 6)
Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male (age 6)
Allison N. Wyatt, 07/03/06, female (age 6)
Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female (age 29)
Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female (age 47)
Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female (age 52)
Lauren Russeau, 1982, female (age 29)
Mary Sherlach, 02/11/56, female (age 56)
Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female (age 27)
And the crowds asked John the Baptist, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” Luke 3:10-18