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It has happened once again. People are dead and injured in a mass shooting. This is a scenario that we see and hear about way too often. An individual lashes out, taking as many lives as possible with a senseless, brutal act of violence. Individuals who are simply going about their lives find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
As the investigation unfolds, we will hear from local, state, and federal leaders asking us to remember those who died and who are still suffering. We’ll hear the calls for gun control and stronger background checks, as well as the need for effective mental healthcare in this country. But if history repeats itself once again, within a few weeks we will move on until someone else decides to pick up a firearm. We are caught in a vicious cycle that will not change until we, as a nation, take proactive steps to make those changes. Our hearts cry out for justice, for change, for real action that will save countless lives.
In the midst of our anger and despair, there are dozens of families in Lewiston, Maine who are facing the realization that a loved one will not come home, or will require ongoing care, both physical and mental. We pray for God’s loving mercy on all who have been impacted by these shootings. May they feel the loving embrace from millions of people across this country and the world. We pray that in this tragic moment, the spirit of our Lord and Savior will touch each and every person who is hurting as well as those who are having to relive a similar tragedy from the past.
Rev. Bronwen Boswell
Acting Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)