When words fail

 ‘And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’ (Matt 28:20)

Matthew 28:16-20 (Year A: Ascension Thursday 25^th May 2017)

The unspeakable sadness and outrage of what happened in Manchester shook me. But why, it might be asked, should it be so? After all, children are slaughtered daily in Syria and many other places of the world in the name of some cause, ideology or interest.  Like many other parts of the UK, Manchester is no stranger to terror in recent decades. State terror along with unofficial terror are two sides of the same coin.  They destroy the image of God in countless children, women and men.

I guess that what happened at a pop concert attended by thousands of teenagers was too close to home for me. Moreover, seeing those clips of parents frantically waiting and running at the entrance of the stadium reminded me of those times I waited for my own children at concerts in Dublin.

Manchester is real, very real.

And, I didn’t feel like writing a blog this week.  Then, I was struck by a phrase from the Gospel of Saint Matthew in this Thursday’s Gospel:

And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age

Amen.

God must descend into our hell of pain, suffering and incomprehension before he ascends – and us along with him. Might we live in hope and in love trusting in the power of the one who was crucified and rose again?

Might we stay firm in prayerful partnership with others as we await the coming of the holy breath of God? Might we be ready to begin again and to never, never allow evil rule our worlds or our minds or our bodies?

Nothing can bring back the lives and innocence of those slaughtered, maimed or traumatised. However, love in this small patch of life or existence joined to others can make a difference.