To the editor:
On a recent Saturday afternoon, my wife and I took our grandkids, 2 and 5, and their parents (who hold them hostage) to the Indianapolis Zoo.
It was a bit on the cool side, but a festive atmosphere prevailed as the children and a few adults had dressed in costume. As we viewed each of the animal exhibits, my two-year old grandson commented, “They can’t get you.”
Of course, that was a good thing, as we listened to the lions roar and observed that very few of the animals were smaller than us and most could outrun and overpower us! (On an earlier zoo visit, our grandson had been terrified by some of the animals and had been told by his mother that while we could see the animals and they us, they could not get us.) So, we marveled at the variety of God’s creation (both the animals and the homo sapiens), collected candy and finally went home.
Apparently, during this time, multiple shootings had taken place at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Eleven people have died and six, including four police/SWAT, were injured. It appears that first responders prevented an even greater carnage. We owe God and them our thanks for standing in harm’s way for the sake of others. It also appears that this was the work of a single person, who reportedly targeted the synagogue as an act of hatred against Jewish people.
Christians believe in the dignity and worth of every human life. This is reinforced by the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. We have reason to mourn when any individual or group is singled out because of their religious faith, political conviction, gender or orientation, age, handicap, race or country of origin. And most Christians would also add to that list, born or unborn. We mourn the loss and grief and fear our sisters and brothers of Jewish faith now feel.
They, like my grandson, should be able to look out at the rest of us and say, “They can’t hurt us.” I encourage all of faith to be in prayer for our Jewish friends and for the person responsible for this terrible act, so that healing would take place.
Likewise, I ask for prayers for those who were the intended recipients of mail bombs, for the news organizations that came to conclusions before the facts were known (This does not help them establish fairness or veracity.), and those who have tried to make political hay over it. These people likewise deserve our prayers as well as the sick mind or minds of those who sent them.
Like the shooter who took aim at Republicans about a year ago, these actions display a violence and brokenness which has no place in our struggle to become a more perfect union.
Peter Jessen
Franklin
