We must ask ourselves: What drives a seemingly quiet man who was helpful to his neighbors into doing an act of horrendous violence? This question confronts us every time we read about such an act, whether it’s at a church in Charleston, a nightclub in Orlando or, in this case, a truck attack in New Orleans.
The ones listed above were tied into some kind of political and religious extremism, but others have not been. Some mass attacks were tied into hatred of certain groups, such as the Walmart massacre in Texas, anger at God, or at family members. Although such attacks were seemingly rare in the past, they have become more frequent.
Have we become such a society that is so fractured that anger commonly results in the deaths of people around us? Have we become so inured to violence that although we shudder at such acts, but then go on with our lives? We need to find ways to deal with anger and hate before we destroy ourselves.
Prayer for the Day
Crying aloud to you, O God, we ask why? Why?
Such carnage in the midst of joy, such tragedy before us.
Shouting aloud to you, O Lord, we often have no reply,
And we cannot understand your silence to such acts.
Answer us, O Holy One, help us understand the violence;
Do not be silent, leaving us to our own resources.
In the name of the One who is always with us,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
Only when enough adults practice and teach children love and respect at home, in schools, religious congregations, and in our political and civic life will racial, gender, and religious intolerance and hate crimes subside in America and the world.
Marian Wright Edelman, educator, from her book Lanterns
Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
You gave me room when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer
Psalm 4: 1