We gather this morning in sorrow and solidarity with the people of Haiti. Words cannot begin to express the pain and horror that they continue to suffer more than a week after the devastating earthquake reduced their lives and their world to rubble. Even as we gather to pray in the comfort of this beautiful chapel, we know there are people still trapped, waiting for rescue which may not come, waiting for food and water, which may not be enough, and waiting for medical attention before it is too late. The situation is beyond desperate.
We are shocked at the images we see on our TV screens and cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like to experience this nightmare first hand. This is no science fiction thriller; this is ultimate reality. Those are real people suffering real pain. Our first natural inclination is to cry out, “Why?” Why did this happen? If God is all powerful, if God is all loving, if God is all merciful, how can he allow something like this to happen, especially to a people who have suffered such terrible poverty and oppression for so long, and who put their faith in him? Where is God in all this?
These are understandable questions and doubts and it is only natural to feel them, but we, as well as our brothers and sisters in Haiti, are a deeply religious and spiritual people. Although there is no answer to the mystery of evil, suffering and death, there is a response: the equally great mystery of love, sacrifice, compassion and life.
Something amazing happened in our world. Suddenly we were no longer a world divided, no longer Democrats and Republicans, no longer different races and religions. Haiti reminded us we are one family on one precious and fragile planet. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.
Scenes of the devastation made us forget our own problems, if only but for a moment. Did we recently lose a loved one? At least we had the opportunity to offer them a dignified funeral. Are we facing health issues? At least our hospitals are still standing and doctors and nurses attend to our needs. We have access to food, clean water, clothing and a roof over our heads.
But something else even more amazing happened. The world quickly moved beyond “Why did this happen?” to “What can we do to help?” The outpouring of donations and relief goods and rescue workers is unprecedented in the history of the world. The same media which informed us about the tragedy became an instrument for offering support.
Our first reading from the book of Job (Job 1:13~21) aptly describes the situation of Haitians who suffer one calamity after another through no fault of their own. Job might even be considered a patron saint for Haiti. In the end, no explanation for his suffering sufficed, yet his faith remained: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord."
And in the Gospel story of Jesus (Mark 3:1~6) healing a man with a withered hand, we are shown the path of compassion and salvation: compassion for those less fortunate and salvation for us, one person at a time.
So, where is God in all this? We who believe in a crucified Savior know the answer. If God was there nailed to a cross, then God is there in Haiti crying out from under the rubble; God is there in the tears and anguish of those mourning the death of relatives; God is waiting in agony, fever and pain for medical attention, for food, for water. But God is also there in the rescue workers, the doctors, nurses, soldiers, relief workers. God is with the person who shares her ration of food with her hungry neighbor. God is with the thirsty man who offers his bottle of water to a dying patient. But know that God is also in you, gathered here in prayer, drawn together by a common concern and motivated to do something to express your compassion.
Just as it is a miracle that people are being pulled from the rubble a week after the earthquake struck, so today we also witness a miracle here in this Chapel. We stand today before the mystery of suffering and death by proclaiming the mystery of love and life. We stand before the mystery of the Cross. We acknowledge each moment of life is not only gift, it's a miracle.
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