Heartbreak in Connecticut

I am usually an emotional person who’s easily drawn into tears out of joy or sadness. So my flat response to the 28 dead—mostly children—at  Sandy Hook school disturbed me.  Could it be because of those extra Christmas sweets that numbed me?  It’s a possibility, but there seemed to be more.

Perhaps it was the not-so-distant memory of the pain of hearing that a very young past client of mine that I extensively worked with was murdered.  Shocked by the news I struggled to think of anything else and was unable to hold back tears  for weeks.  But, there seemed to be more.

Hearing pro-choice politicians go over the top in their expression of sorrow and support for the families who lost loved ones to such cruel violence bubbles my anger when I consider the millions of lives of unborn children lost to abortion in large part because of the policies of these “leaders”.  Weren’t they children too?  Not to be insensitive to the families who lost loved ones, but the nearly 3,000 people killed in 9-11 at the twin towers terrorist attack pales in comparison to the masses of murdered unborn babies.  The 3000 lost equals the same number of babies who die each day in this country to abortion.  

Conceivably, my detached attitude is related to my feelings of distance right now in my prayer life.  It’s encouraging to know people like Mother Teresa and Teresa de Avila had dark periods in their souls at times in their life.

Or plausibly, it’s all the above.

Sometimes all you can do is surrender it all to God and take that next step forward.

The Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip:  When tragedy hits, determine but don’t judge your response, and give it to God.