How we see these events is a matter of perception. Even the passage of time seems to have an effect on how we look at the unfolding of an event. There are always the nagging questions concerning why something happens, especially if it has tragic results. Our faith has a great amount to say about this and we turn to it to help us. The truth is, however, that there is very little that expresses an argument that holds water. Is God punishing us for our sins? In opposition there are those who say that God cannot be the cause, for God is loving. And then there are those who hold to the idea that God is a just judge and all his actions are an expression of his judgment.
One my favorite passages from the Gospel of John concerns the “Man Born Blind.”
As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. (John 9:1-3)Of course, the key is verse three that is rather unmistakably a testimony to (1) the goodness of God and (2) that fact God is involved. All God’s ways express his majestic goodness. How does a tornado rumbling through a quiet town in the middle of a prairie express anything but destructive power? The answer has to do with heroes, those who in a simple, everyday manner make the glory of God known through their heroic acts. The loving care, the unbridled courage, the sense of desperation that moves a man or a woman to focus on one thing: helping.
We are deeply appreciative for the sacrifices made by emergency workers and all the many others who never say “no” to the call they are given.
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