Like everyone, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to the news from Japan and praying. The devastating earthquake, tsunami, and aftershocks illustrate our dependence on and vulnerability to the earth. Our hearts break for the victims and their families, and also for the survivors, many of whom lack sufficient food, water, and fuel to keep warm. The radiation escaping from the damaged nuclear reactors reminds us that sometimes our best plans and preparations fall short. We pray for containment of the nuclear fuel and for the workers who remain on site trying to minimize the damage. May God bless them for their personal sacrifices for the good of the whole. Some folks in our community have friends and associates in or near the affected areas. Attaching names to some of the faces makes this tragedy ours. This is happening to us all. God have mercy on anyone who remains untouched by this disaster.
As the death toll rises and the nuclear risks increase, it can be hard to hope. How and why can we hope? Here’s the best response I can muster today.
Often people respond to tragedy and suffering with astonishing compassion and kindness. Nations, communities, and individuals regularly deepen their generosity in the face of desperate need. Similarly, seemingly unsolvable problems sometimes prompt creative minds to reach new heights. The capacity to think outside the box often increases as the box begins to collapse. Hope quickens when we remember such times. Human beings do not always respond with compassion and creativity. Yet, we do it often enough to affirm belief in human goodness, the goodness I believe God breathes into us.
We can also fall back on our conviction that we are not left to ourselves, that we exist amidst a power and presence not our own. I believe not only that light overcomes darkness and life finds away even in the face of death, but also that the power and presence in which we exist point and call us to light and life. I have no choice but to believe this. I cannot keep my balance without such faith. During the struggle against apartheid Archbishop Desmond Tutu borrowed a phrase from Zechariah 9:12 and called himself a “prisoner of hope” who could not shake off the longing to believe that goodness, love, and caring ultimately prevail.
Hope does not diminish the challenge and suffering faced by the people of Japan. Hope challenges all of us to reach for our best as we respond. We cannot rid the world of natural disasters or human limitations. We can fill the world with prayers and acts of compassion, hope, and faith. We can express our conviction that goodness and love will prevail. Life is too precious to believe anything less.
Grace and Peace,
LP
P.S. If you’d like to pray through a monetary donation, you may make an early gift to our One Great Hour of Sharing offering.
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