Such evil and malice lurks in the heart of men. Today was such a sad day for me. This morning I heard the news that there had been a shooting, an execution really, at an school here in Rio. 11 young people were shot and killed. I am not sure of all the whys, but I do know it reminds me again of the evil that abides in men’s hearts. It reminds me of the power of sin. It reminds me, again, of the brevity of life.
I confess that I’ve been down all day about this, imagining the fear of the children who saw this, the teachers who will have to return to their classrooms soon, and most of all the family members of the victims. Besides the 11 dead, there are many injured and in critical condition in the hospitals. The shooter killed himself and left a note that is strange, making almost no sense, but making it clear that this was a premeditated event. He was 23 years old and so another young person was dead.
Certainly we know weapons like he used should not be available to anyone. Certainly we know it should be that easy for anyone to walk into a public school and enter a classroom like that. Working on improving safety is not a bad idea and is, in fact, fundamental. But I don’t think we should ever delude ourselves in thinking our world is a safe place. It isn’t. We live in a world after the fall, full of pain, illness, suffering and violence. As Romans 8:22 says: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Creation groans. We groan. We eagerly await the new creation where there will be no more tears. Maranatha! (Come, Oh Lord!)
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