Boston Marathon: Pray for Boston

Lord, give me your eyes....

#bostonmarathon #prayforboston

Again we are confronted with tragedy and sorrow so near to home. Indeed, the 23,000+ runners from all over the world mean there are families and fans from every country on earth looking for loved ones, watching the news, trying to piece together what has happened. I have been watching the Live Blog on my iPhone and the front pages of 12 UK newspapers reporting on the bombing were just posted. The world is a single neighborhood now, and we share in each other's pain and sorrow so easily. A tweet at 6:52 PM by PatrickCH stated that "seconds after the bomb, before the smoke cleared, people were tearing down the barriers to help, to assist, to save." A tally of those who are injured at Beth Israel hospital follows. I whisper a prayer for them. It is confirmed that one of the first victims is a child.

I have been reflecting on the apostles caught in the storm at sea. They were alone, or at least they thought they were alone. Their attention was absorbed by the storm and trying to survive, so much so that they didn't see Jesus coming to them across the water, and when they did see him, they didn't recognize them. Evil is like that. Whether we watch the news reports of hurricanes or tornadoes, roadside bombings in Afghanistan, tsunamis, shootings in schools, or now the bombing at the end of the Boston Marathon, the evidence of evil at work is seductive. It not only manipulates those who are directly caught in its web, perpetrators and victims alike, but it affects onlookers as well.

The terror we see in each tragic event is cracked open by the miracle of generous and selfless service that blossoms in its wake. But what is the role I have as spectator, as witness of all this. I would like to propose that our role--the role of one who is not "at the scene"--is the role of attentiveness, of prayer, of compassion. We have the space to reflect upon what is happening, to acknowledge our fear, our sorrow for what is happening, our anger, our anxiety for the future. If we have the courage to go to the root of our experience, we can ask ourselves the ultimate question, "Can I trust in the real presence of the Good Shepherd, even now?" We can become the flame of faith that burns anew and with even greater strength in the world. We can be the love that will heal the world. We can be the light that shines bravely into the future.

We are in the Easter Season, these fifty days in which we celebrate the new creation brought about by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. These events make us face our faith. Is the victory of sin and death brought about by Jesus real to me? How real? And what comfort does this reality give to me? It takes courage not to get mesmerized by the darkness around us in order to look for Jesus who is coming to us even in these circumstances.

Jesus, help me to keep my focus. Teach me to see the world through your eyes, with your compassion. Give me an attentive spirit that I might taste your Presence with us even now, hear your Voice speaking in the midst of confusion, grasp your Hand reaching to lead us through the dark valley to the place of flowing streams. Amen.

Sr. Kathryn James, fsp
Daughters of St. Paul 


 Rev. Emily C. Heath: God's Love Wins: Reflections on Boston Marathon Bombing
No matter what we learn about the who or the why of what happened today, I choose to believe that in the end "perfect love casts out fear." In our hearts. In our minds. And on that one city block in the heart of Boston.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-emily-c-heath/gods-love-wins-reflections-on-boston-marathon-bombing_b_3088437.html?utm_hp_ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=041613&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief