Aftermath

Last night, people who have disagreed with each other and worked hard to discredit one another came together in prayer over a fallen colleague.

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. - 2 Corinthians 13:11

At the charity baseball game in Washington DC last night, we got a glimpse of what coming together in peace and love looks like, and it took an act of violence to make that happen.

It is no surprise that we can find common ground when we are shaken to our roots, but why does it take that to wake us up to peace and cooperation?

I find myself asking the same questions every time a disaster strikes, especially when the act is man-made.  We want to understand why someone would intentionally go out to take the lives of others, and yet it has become so common.

If we need to find someone to blame for violence, I believe we are fooling ourselves about our own nature.  We have the capacity and at times, the will to do violent things to one another, and we may choose to do them with very little, if any, provocation.

We are the ticking time bombs set to blow at some unknown moment, all of us are.

If we can begin to accept that we all harbor and at times nurture rage within, then we might be able to turn our attention inward and struggle for the peace that passes all understanding, calling on the Holy Spirit that lives within us to help us wrestle the beast to a state of control.

But how to do we get others to do the same?

Those who gathered together at second base where Representative Steve Scalise was shot had the right idea.  Come together in prayer.

If we can find the strength to do that after each deadly attack, why can't we do it beforehand?

Maybe if we take the time to show the world we can tame the beast, others will seek to do the same.

We can only pray they will.

More to come...