Scripture: Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Thought for the Day:  In the aftermath of yet another human-on-human atrocity, treat we all feel a little more broken today. And while fingers point, rumors fly and the slimmest of reasons will be given for vengeance and “justice,” no matter who ends up responsible, I have to ask, “when will we learn?” Have we paid absolutely zero attention to Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Lao-Tze, Confucius?

I understand that humans have fought each other for hundreds of thousands of years. What I don’t understand is why, after that much time trying to destroy each other with ever more destructive weapons; we still think the same old actions will somehow lead to a resolution of our disputes. If blowing each other up hasn’t worked for hundreds of thousands of years, why would it work now? It’s like continually poking ourselves in the eye with a sharp stick. Why would you do that? And yet, here we are. Still poking ourselves in the eye with a sharp stick.

My prayer is that whenever we discover the people responsible for the tragedy in Boston, we act consciously to break the cycle of violence. I know it’s difficult, but we need to find compassion and love for the perpetrators. I mean, perhaps if they’d been shown a little compassion and love in the first place, this terrible disaster never would have happened. We don’t know the power of love, because we’re so addicted to the power of violence. And that, I think, makes Jesus weep.

Prayer: God of Mercy and Compassion, give us the strength to stop poking ourselves in the eye with a stick, so we can see more clearly, with love and compassion. Amen.