Tragedy

Today I learned of a great tragedy. It seeks to destroy me, as it did him. The rage moves on. Is it the loudest voice in the universe? It took him, it has taken others, it may try and take again. What must I do in the face of such tragedy. Certainly not succumb to it. But I need to feel it, otherwise I may brush over it too quickly, not take it in, not hold it with the compassion it deserves. God give the grace to hold it, with your help, without judgement, without condemnation, without acts of rage, without retaliation, without hate. Use even this grave event, an event even this dark, to bring about reception in my soul. For out of death can come life. I don't know how much pain he was in. I don't know how many smiles he had to glue on to his face. Be present, of love that flows through the universe, we need you Jesus. Teach me how to process such things, how to let it affect me with consuming me. So much pain in this world. And today, I heard of a school shooting too. When will it stop. Are there voices of peace amidst the agony? I hold on to the good passed on to me, I hope I have the strength to pass on good to the next. It's difficult when the tragedy seems so pressing, so prevalent, so grave, so large. Oh world, let us leave our differences aside. May we come together to comfort rather than confront. May we lay down arms, and join hands. I need love just like you. You just like me. Our nations are but illusion, you have a human heart just like me. Our differences are to be celebrated, not killed. Country rages against country. Retaliation rules the day. Our different languages don't mean different meaning, different value, different needs. I don't understand you, but I want to, please help me to understand, as I want to be understood. Peace not pressure. Violence has already spoken, we have heard, we're just tired of what it says. We are ready for something else. Aggression stop now. Reprogram our societies, our nations, our peoples, our hearts with love. So that love can give birth to more love. So that our children can have it better than we did. Let's see how far love can go, we owe it to ourselves. We owe it to our children. Grace.