Fr. Don's Daily Reflection
At any moment, thanks to technology, we seem submerged, if not overwhelmed, in and by human suffering. There is always some catastrophe with unimaginable sorrow and suffering; there are famines and drought, so many human conflicts all over the world, present to all of us no matter where we are; there is what seems to be an epidemic of cancer, crime, oppression, terrorism, injustice, etc. A few centuries ago, thanks to slower and limited communication, people would only hear of so much suffering elsewhere belatedly and piecemeal, if at all. Today there is no escape from it. We are inundated, like it or not. Trusted religious leaders anguish over it, trying to get a human handle on it. Attempted explanations and understanding are, for all our effort, simply inadequate. They may tell us how tsunamis and earthquakes and war happen but we're all left with why? Or, often, "why me?" — whether in our hearts or in cries and screams. Philosophers and theologians when thinking about it call it a problem; better, call it a mystery.
The issue requires at least these two responses: 1) In the midst of universal horror and pain, it may be best to emphasize once again, and realize our solidarity with all suffering human beings--whenever and wherever--and draw what consequences we can. We are one human race; we share one planet. 2) We can and must pray. As with disease or catastrophe, we attempt to explain fumblingly how prayer works. But what will help in actuality is simply to pray, best of all with trust in prayer (based, we hope, on personal experience), and trust in the God who in so many ways has shown us love and will yet again show us love.