Lent and Recent Shooting at Parkland, Florida
Lent and Recent Shooting at Parkland, Florida
Yesterday, I began my day in prayer, focused on the beginning of our holy season of Lent. I was busy throughout the morning making sure everything was in place for the Ash Wednesday masses in hopes that those attending the masses would have a meaningful beginning to their Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
About 900 miles away in south Florida, parents got their children up and off to school, perhaps even going to an early morning mass to receive ashes and begin their Lenten sacrifice. Hours later, their daily routine turned into horror as many parents began receiving texts from their children who were under siege at their high school. The news of the carnage broke through on all the news channels and we learned of, and watched in horror, another mass shooting. We probably all watched in disbelief, thinking that school should be a safe place for children.
I cannot even begin to imagine the fear the children felt as they ran for cover or watched in horror as their classmates were shot. What were their parents feeling as they heard the news, and were miles away and could not be there at that moment to protect their children? The dad of a child who survived the shooting commented, “All I keep thinking about is when I dropped him off this morning. I usually say ‘I love you’ and I didn’t this morning.” From the news reports, we know that teachers and administrators jumped into action and did their best to protect the children -- sacrificing their lives to save the children.
We who have been through Lent many times, know that this season is our ‘dessert’ experience – a time for us to encounter, communicate and enter into a deeper relationship with our God. The desert is a place where we hear the voice of God. Many of us are probably disturbed by the barrenness and silence of the desert. None of us want to pray fervently, only to hear silence at the end of our prayers and wonder if God is there? While it may be difficult, we must remember that God is in the desert with us… whether we hear him or not… the father of mercy is there. We must remember that being in the desert can lead to renewal of spirit.
I cannot help but think that the children and families from that high school shooting in Parkland, Florida are walking through a desert right now wondering where God is in their lives. Many in the world are wondering today, how do we explain evil in the world? We Christians are people of HOPE and we trust in the God who made us. We pray that we trust in Him even in the most horrific times in our lives.
Let us pray for the families in south Florida, especially those grieving the loss of life. Let us pray that we as faithful citizens take a serious look at the gun control laws.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
-Fr. Paul Yi
