Once again we are stunned and grieved by sudden violent death and suffering in West and in Boston and overwhelmed by the generosity and resiliency of the human spirit.

Ironically the heroes and the victims in both cases were the first responders. In Boston the presence and quick action of police and medical personnel saved many  lives after the twin bomb blasts shattered so many bodies.

In West the first responders, volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel,  were the victims as the fire they were fighting became an inferno that swept away their lives. We have nothing but admiration for these dedicated men and women who put their lives on the line to protect ours.

Headlines will fade away, the questions of why and how will search for answers, but the wounds of West and Boston will remain. Lives have been shattered and snuffed out and normal will never return for survivors and loved ones. Faith has been tested and strengthened by this violent confrontation with our own mortality.

St. Paul reminds us that because “we walk by faith and not by sight,” We have the strength and will to move on, to heal the wounds and find a new normal.

Let us remember the victims and the survivors in our prayers and in our generosity.

Image Credit:
(CNS photo/Jaime R. Carrero, Reuters) April 19, 2013 – People take part in a candlelight vigil April 18 at the Church of the Assumption in West, Texas, to remember those who lost their lives or were injured in a massive explosion at the area’s fertilizer plant April 17. The explosion near Waco, Texas, killed 12 people and injured more than 160 others.