Look past the headlines to God's presence

Originally appeared on spirituality.com

The flags are flying at half-mast and my neighbors are still talking about the shootings at Virginia Tech. And, more recently, there was the shooting at the mall in Kansas City. These events— shooting rampages, sprees of violence, and the continuing threat of terrorism—have become intolerably familiar There’s a feeling that something in society needs to change, but no one is quite sure how to control the violence that seems to happen randomly—and more frequently.

In many of my conversations with people, there’s fear and weariness in their voices but I’m also hearing a greater resolve to make a difference. This, to me, points to a way out of the destructive cycle we seem to be in.

In the fall of 2001, as most Americans and many others around the world were struggling to understand what had happened on September 11, I found solace and hope in the way people responded in the aftermath of the attack. Having spent most of our lives in New York, my husband and I both knew people who had been at the World Trade Center and had lost friends.

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