There is so much going on in the world at this moment. It’s really quite overwhelming. Huge natural disasters can barely find newsprint room next to tragedies of negligence and intention. How do we take it all in.

Particularly the intentional tragedy. We want to believe that we can understand why someone would do that. Perhaps if we understand we can assure ourselves that nothing would ever/could have ever lead/led us down a wrong road toward hate-filled activities. Not in us. Nope. Not in anyone we know. But of course it is. But we can’t understand it. We can barely believe that it doesn’t have to be more than two blundering brothers who planned this.

I don’t believe that I can understand all the things that happened here. I don’t think most of us can. I know that I don’t have access to an awful lot of information, and I know that my mind is not the one to sift through it. Those aren’t my gifts. So I’m working reeeeeeeeallly hard not to speculate. I do know how to pray. I have both an advanced degree and a fair amount of experience in this. (Perhaps this is why my alma mater insisted that an MDiv was a vocational degree.) And so I pray. For Boston. For that sad, demented young man and his brother’s soul. For the people of West, Texas. For those in China and those in Iran. And then, oh, my goodness, the places where there’s a world of hurt and violence.

I’m good at praying. And I believe that prayer is a lot more than asking “can Somebody (else) help these folks?” It’s about focusing to see where I can help and sending love. And it’s about doing those things that I know how to do, right here and right now. I can be kind. I can work to effect justice. I can speak for Peace. I can demand justice for the grievously wounded and the wounder. But I can’t be an expert about something I know nothing about. This isn’t a backing away from responsibility, I need to stay informed. I need to keep stretching, I know that. But I also need to find some allies, some people I trust who do know. Some people who trust me to know the things I do when they need to call on or lean on me. So, I’ll keep plodding along for Peace.