As I listened to President Obama speak at the Memorial Service for the twenty little children and six adults, I imagined a heavy cloud of sorrow pressing down on those sitting in the auditorium. Yet, I saw some there holding small children and felt that the sorrow had to be mixed with joy. Perhaps joy means more when we are able to feel it after great suffering. However, I am also convinced that our faith allows us to feel a deep currant of joy that is the presence of the Holy Spirit in us, with us, giving us the strength and courage to continue to love and to believe that those we have lost now are rejoicing with God for all eternity. We still shed tears and feel the heart suffering, but underneath it all, there is a joy we cannot feel because of the numbness and shock of the tragedy. The joy comes in thinking of the courage of the teachers, the first responders, the many children saved that day, the relief of so many parents as they found and hugged their children...parents all over the nation have responded with a renewed gratefulness for the gift of their children... and into all this Advent waiting we realize that Jesus is here with us - no matter how great the sorrow, God is with us! And that is a cause for joy!
Here is a quote from Psalm 46:
There is a river
whose streams give joy to the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it stands firm.
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