May 31

May 31, 2006

Seven years have gone by since the horrors of May 31, 1999 and for some it has seemed like nothing more than a blink of an eye; as if it happened yesterday. For others it has been an excruciatingly long time. Some remember that day with absolute clarity, others with more of a foggy haze. To some, what happened has become a piece of the puzzle that is their lives, for others it’s a gaping hole where a vital piece belongs but is missing. Some still struggle with the question “why?” while others realize there is no answer in this life that would suffice, so they stop asking. However you approach the situation, two things remain clear: we are forever united in our suffering but within suffering, there is hope.

St. Paul speaks of the merit of suffering, “…we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 3-5).

It may seem odd to see suffering as good in that it produces endurance; all of us would gladly trade any endurance we might have gained if Aaron and Brian were still here. However, we can’t. So we must move on; we have no choice, we must endure. And endure we have. For seven years we have woken up each day, even on the days we wished we didn’t, we endured. On those days that seemed hopeless or pointless, we endured. On the days we wanted to quit, we endured and that is what proves character.

We also proved character by realizing we could not do it alone. We had to humble ourselves to seek out help, help from the only one who can truly give it, Jesus. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). We prove character when we realize and accept that we did not do it alone and that it was Christ who strengthened us every day. And it was through Christ that we proved character by not acting with vengeance, but with love. By continuing to endure and prove character, hope is produced. Being able to look back on what we have done and what we have endured in the past seven years gives us hope. Hope that we can endure today, tomorrow, this year and the next seven years.

Hope, though, is rooted in the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. St. Paul preaches Christ crucified, not just risen, because it is through the suffering and death of Jesus that he resurrected and was able to overcome death and bring hope to us all. The fact that “in the world you will have tribulations, but fear not, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) provides hope that all is not lost, that there is nothing to fear.

We as Christians are able to take great comfort and hope in the fact that God Himself endured human suffering and death. Taking on humanity, Christ was falsely accused, betrayed, mocked, abandoned, humiliated, tortured in so many heinous ways, crucified and pierced. But the hope manifests three days later in the glorious resurrection when Christ conquered the world of sin, suffering and death. When we are able to unite our sufferings with those of Christ, we can begin to make sense of this Paschal Mystery.

How, then, are we able to unite our sufferings with Christ? By understanding the words of Paul in Romans 8:28, “we know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” The actions of the Apostles are surely examples for us all. Witnesses to Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection, they endured in their love for God and spread the gospel of Christ, working for good and answering the call of Christ.

Through our love for God and only by the grace of God, can we also spread the gospel and work for good. We are able to see this already; all we have to do is look back on the past 7 years, particularly to the mothers of Brian and Aaron. Through the endurance of Rachel, a foundation was begun, giving hope to others through opportunity and education. Through the endurance of Kathleen, a book was published giving hope and light to others through counsel and understanding. These are the ones we have seen; how many countless acts have been performed by them and by the rest of us that have not been seen? It comes through difficulty, but still it comes, for “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24). And as difficult as it may be, that is what constitutes endurance and leads us to "the hope that does not disappoint" where one day we will be reunited with our brothers who already share in the resurrection of Christ.

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed to us”

(Romans 8:18)