4 angels on sidewalke where 4
homicide victims died the 4th of July.
I remember once being seasick. I felt so sick that about all I could think about was that this nausea would pass. Since it was a time after my sister had died from cancer after a period of suffering I did think about how horrible it would be to live with such pain and suffering. For almost a year a friend from Church has been suffering from pain from an unknown source. After many doctors and much testing she underwent an operation that was supposed to take pressure off her brain and thus lessen the suffering. Today when I talked to her she told me the operation did not work and that she was now in greater pain and suffering than before the operation. The hope she had that the source of the pain would be found and her suffering would end is now very faint. She is losing hope, and on the phone broke down crying, questioning why God was allowing her to suffer so much.
This morning I attended a prayer vigil of the four young persons shot down and killed on the 4th of July. The sorrow in the air was so heavy that it could be felt. Again the question is why there is such senseless violence and why these four had to die. I do not pretend to have any of the answers to the question of why there is suffering, but believe (although weakly at times like today) there is a reason for such great pain and suffering.
Looking to nature for answers does not provide any easy answers, but does give us a hint of what is happening. Dying and suffering seems to be a part of living and growing. Why some must suffer and die in order for some to live and thrive is a paradox that we need to live with. Like when we see something withering away in the garden, we feed and water the plant, so must we be of comfort and give hope to those, like my friend or the families and friends of the four homicide friends, who need hope and support.
Suffering and sadness cannot be eliminated with pills, but needs to be embraced. Living with the tension of this paradox of suffering is life.
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