Weeping with compassion

In the wake of yet another act of senseless violence, how do we heal and how do we move forward?

I have attended many events on that campus, and I know people who knew two of the victims personally. The tragedy is heart wrenching, too real, and too close as the pastor of a church located only a few miles away and a member of the larger Green n White community of MSU.  

The reality is still settling in for many professors, students, and staff of returning to that splendid campus on the red cedar, only to remember the events of February 14th. The reality of that traumatic and violent evening will be hard for many to forget. I am confident that the staff at MSU will take all precautions and provide the much needed mental health services that many will need.

What of us? The ones who are in charge of caring for our loved ones and community members. What do we do with our emotions: anger, confusion, worry, sadness, and so on. How do we respond?

Jesus began to weep is one of the shortest versus in the Gospel and it may help us discern a way forward for us all.

Lazarus, a good friend of Jesus and a member of His larger community has died.

Jesus weeps.

You see in the thin places of scripture, as well as our own lives, in the spiritual space between and around the words on the page is the treasure of Divine connection and Godly presence.

It may be hard to see, and it may be hard to find. In the midst of great tragedy and senseless violence, where is God’s goodness? In this tiny little verse that is contained in the larger Gospel story of Jesus is one such treasure.

It is said that as Jesus was walking with this community he saw them weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. There it is. Jesus began to weep. (John 11:35)

John doesn’t say it, but if we listen really close to this story, we can hear the compassion of Jesus. Before he weeps, he feels compassion deep in his spirit and is disturbed. A deep compassion for all of humanity is how Jesus walked the earth and it is God’s compassion for us, and our compassion for our neighbors that we now carry in our hearts, into our own time and place in the history of humankind.

Compassion begets tears for the loss of life. We are all disturbed in our spirit and deeply moved with compassion for our loved ones and community members who were affected by yet another act of grotesque violence and loss of life. Soon after the news broke, the events ended as the shooter took his own life, and we began to hear about who it was that had been killed and we began to see the goodness of God in the midst of this tragedy.

We began to hear of the first responders, the medical staff at the area hospitals, and our social feeds began showing pictures of people simply showing up to lay flowers at landmarks around the campus. They gathered in churches, community centers, and on the campus to console and care for one another. The community wept, together and showed us all the goodness that exists during tragedy.

Jesus weeps with compassion for what humanity is doing to one another. (Luke 19:41)

When the tears dry up, if they ever really dry up completely after an event of this nature, our compassion must remain. If we live into this story of Jesus’s compassion for all of humanity, not just his buddy, we may be able to heal our own wounds and care for our entire community, all of Creation, not just today but all of our days.

If we lead with compassion, we can be part of the healing process, instead of playing the unhealthy blame game.

Yes, there is time for action. Yes, we need to fix our violence problem and our gun problem. No, we must not accept this as just another difficult part of life like a snowstorm, which we must endure. There is good work to be done and good trouble to be made.

In the action, in the good work, and in good trouble making, it will be of the utmost importance that we don’t let our anger at the senseless loss of life ruin our compassion or take over our hearts. We must not let the circumstances of the world, no matter how senseless they are at times, ruin our soulful, soul filled spirit of love.

Jesus’s tears did not turn to revenge or violence. His compassion remained. He led with that same compassion all the way to His day on the cross. (Luke 23:34)

In our tiny little verse, we hear of the presence of God’s compassion for all who may be hurting. A compassion we all carry with us.

Let our tears fall.

Let the anger in our hearts turn to voices for change.

Let our energy turn towards building up our communities instead of tearing down one another.

Let our hearts remain compassionate.