Another shooting? Again Lord?

How do we respond to yet another mass shooting in our country? So many feelings rise up: anger, lament, horror, and (dare we admit it?) resignation. It's easy to give in to our emotions and lash out or retreat into our perceived safe places; to set up barriers and walls that we believe will somehow guard our loved ones. And to be sure, we do need to consider precautions and security measures. But what is needed most today is to sit at Jesus' feet and cry to the One who knows all too well what grief and fear and sorrow are and find peace there in His presence.

In a few month we will be singing "Emmanuel-God with us" in decorated churches and around glittering Christmas trees. It is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, when we are scared, angry, and confused, God is with us. Jesus came to earth to walk with us in the good times and the difficult ones. After Jesus returned to the Father he left us the Holy Spirit to comfort and counsel us.

One of my favorite theologians is St Teresa of Avila who stated “Christ has no body now on earth but yours,no hands but yours,no feet but yours,Yours are the eyes through which to look out Christ's compassion to the world Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good;Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.” So how do we respond to crises? In prayer, in reaching out to serve and help those who are hurting for indeed Christ lives in and throguh us. Amen.