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Where is God At Times Like These? A meditation in the wake of a violent atrocity [Prayer Ping]
Archdiocese of Washington.org ^ | 12-14-12 | Msgr. Charles Pope

Posted on 12/14/2012 10:01:32 PM PST by Salvation

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To: Salvation

I always thought that God is interested in what is in our hearts, not the details of our deaths or our longevity, God knew those children, he knew the shooter, he knows the parents, and brothers and sisters, and aunts, and best friends of the kids, he knows us on this thread, it is all part of the human experience.

If my child dies of cancer, it doesn’t bother God, he welcomes her home, but he is interested in how she dealt with it, how I dealt with it, how the doctors, the nurses, the guy that made her wig, the guy in the bar that I spilled my guts to, all of us individual humans dealt with it, and with all of the rest of life and their losses and wins, or whether they should even use words like “losses and wins” when talking about life.

This earthly period is when God lets us, nature, rattlesnakes and hurricanes, and car accidents and earthly existence carry on, as he pays attention to what is in our hearts as things happen, and influence us, and how life shapes us.

I have never understood these questions about ‘where is God’, ‘why am I dying’, ‘why is my child dying of bone cancer’, ‘why did God let this steering column go through my chest’, or ‘God blessed me with winning the 20 million dollar lottery’, ‘Oh, looky, God let that rock fall just seconds before I walked over there’, I just don’t think that he gets involved in such things to a degree that we need to incorporate it into our thinking, start miracle score keeping, and miracle talking. I think the things that God finds important, are different (naturally) than many of the things that we find important.

We all suffer, but without suffering, we may as well be rocks carved with prayerful hands.
How many times have we heard the cliche, “God let my wife and child die, I don’t believe in him anymore”, what the heck is that about? The wife, the child, you, all have your own individual relationship with God, and it is the afterlife that is all important.

This is a tragedy to we humans (God already has the children, they and he are doing just fine), but it isn’t God’s doing, or lack of doing.

I wished that I knew more about theology, because I think that this is Christianity 101 and I don’t understand how the media, or the left, and even many Christians think that God created a rock garden of worshipful Christian sculptures who never become rough and ugly, and who don’t live on our own domain, or in our own existence.


21 posted on 12/14/2012 11:38:58 PM PST by ansel12 (A.Coulter2005(truncated)Romney will never recover from his Court's create of a right to gay marriage)
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To: Salvation

Sadly, we are not only are dealing with human flesh and blood, but also we are in the midst of a spiritual warfare situation here, BIGTIME.


22 posted on 12/15/2012 2:30:33 AM PST by Biggirl ("Jesus talked to us as individuals"-Jim Vicevich/Thanks JimV!)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

The sad reality is that, the day that the same libs threw God out, sadly, are the same libs who invited the devil in.


23 posted on 12/15/2012 2:40:24 AM PST by Biggirl ("Jesus talked to us as individuals"-Jim Vicevich/Thanks JimV!)
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To: ansel12

Please do see posts numbers 22 and 23. Thank-you.


24 posted on 12/15/2012 2:52:57 AM PST by Biggirl ("Jesus talked to us as individuals"-Jim Vicevich/Thanks JimV!)
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To: Safrguns

All you need is to BELIEVE!


25 posted on 12/15/2012 2:54:31 AM PST by Biggirl ("Jesus talked to us as individuals"-Jim Vicevich/Thanks JimV!)
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To: Biggirl

Huh?


26 posted on 12/15/2012 2:58:39 AM PST by ansel12 (A.Coulter2005(truncated)Romney will never recover from his Court's create of a right to gay marriage)
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To: ansel12

Those are the posts that I had post, posts 22 and 23.


27 posted on 12/15/2012 3:12:21 AM PST by Biggirl ("Jesus talked to us as individuals"-Jim Vicevich/Thanks JimV!)
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To: Salvation

As a CT FRper, and living 40 minutes away from this horrible shooting incident, prayers for the repose of the souls of those who died and for confort and support to those who are left behind.


28 posted on 12/15/2012 3:17:07 AM PST by Biggirl ("Jesus talked to us as individuals"-Jim Vicevich/Thanks JimV!)
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To: ansel12; Salvation; Biggirl
We suffer because we live in a broken world that we ourselves created. We ignore God. We do everything we can against His commandments that are meant to give us a good life. We boo God in public and agree with those who relish in practicing evil. We pass laws that are against the moral values of God. And when OUR evil lends itself to this sort of thing, then we complain, "Where is God?" We laugh at those who believe and say, "See, this proves that there is no God otherwise He would never have allowed this." This is mockery of God.

Meanwhile, God is constantly working in all things-even events like this-to help us come to Him. He wants to comfort and heal us, trying to draw us back to Him. May God use this opportunity to help people understand our brokeness so that we may repent and turn to Christ to be healed.

29 posted on 12/15/2012 3:43:52 AM PST by HarleyD
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To: HarleyD

Very good.


30 posted on 12/15/2012 3:52:21 AM PST by Tax-chick (I'm a nightmare, not a dream.)
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To: Salvation

Thank you for this post Salvation. Yes, God is a mystery. Good and evil are a part of our struggle.

May God Bless the parents of those children. Somehow...

Prayers up.


31 posted on 12/15/2012 4:01:50 AM PST by poobear (Socialism, in the minds of the elites, is a con-game for the serfs, nothing more.)
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To: HarleyD

AMEN to that.


32 posted on 12/15/2012 4:22:04 AM PST by Biggirl ("Jesus talked to us as individuals"-Jim Vicevich/Thanks JimV!)
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To: HarleyD

Amen. And if were not for God’s common grace, this type of thing, and much worse, would be an every minute occurence. Those who have not repented and turned to Christ hate God and are filled with all sorts of evil. We do not realize how much evil is held back by God’s Providential hand.

We should not be saying - “where is God”, but should realize how active He really is in this fallen world whereby He keeps this from being common. We should be saying, “Thank you Lord for only allowing this to happen on a rare occasion. As much as people hate God, the world does not deserve such continued favor. Thank you for reminding us of how truly evil sin is, and how truly good and righteous and just you are. Help us to love you more. Help us to tell others about you before it is too late for them.”


33 posted on 12/15/2012 5:11:24 AM PST by lupie
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To: Salvation

Where is God in a time like this?

At the same place where He was when his Only-Begotten Son was nailed to a cross on a hill outside of Jerusalem.


34 posted on 12/15/2012 5:22:27 AM PST by lightman (If the Patriarchate of the East held a state like the Vatican I would apply for political asylum.)
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To: lightman

Sin entered into the world and by sin came death.


35 posted on 12/15/2012 5:25:42 AM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: Salvation

for later


36 posted on 12/15/2012 6:04:22 AM PST by quintr
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To: Salvation

I will. Thanks.


37 posted on 12/15/2012 6:42:00 AM PST by Thorliveshere
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To: HarleyD

Yes, we cannot ask God “Why?” but we can ask him, “What do we do now, Lord?”

We can ask the “Why?”, but it really doesn’t do that much good.


38 posted on 12/15/2012 11:37:39 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: HarleyD

**May God use this opportunity to help people understand our brokeness so that we may repent and turn to Christ to be healed.**

Amen!


39 posted on 12/15/2012 11:39:40 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: BigCinBigD; Salvation
"That would be the same “God” that supposedly made the lunitic and then set him apon those children?"

Big C, since you phrased that as a question, allow me to hazard a response.

I do not think God "makes" anyone a lunatic, paranoid schizophrenic, murderously sick and evil. Not by His ordaining will -- a will which is seen in His magnificent Creation, which is all good, good after good.

You have an inkling of this if your heart has ever responded to the magnificence, simplicity and loveliness of natural things.

When Jesus walked this earth He was always acting to repair the ruined world and restore this goodness. There's a not a lunatic he encountered that he didn't restore to his right mind. He gave healing to sin-sick souls.

People say bitter things about God because they are revolted, frustrated and in deep pain over the intractability of evil. I share this, too. But looking around, I see that God is still acting through those who nurture, rescue, and restore.

How much more urgent we must be in the part of this mission which is ours.

40 posted on 12/15/2012 5:51:49 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o (May the Lord bless you, may the Lord keep you, May He turn to you His countenance and give you peace)
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