I am not a wise enough man to know how to end the violence that took 17 more lives. I do know that blaming someone else is not the solution. Yes, something must be done, I just wish I knew what that something was. The human heart is a broken place in the best of us.
What I can do is repent of the violence in my own heart. Repent of the violence that wants me to hate the shooter. Repent of the violence that wants me to degrade those who disagree with me. Repent of the violencethat refuses to listen to any voice other than my own.
Then I must pray, pray for the charity to truly listen to those who are struggling with life so they know that they have at least one person who is trying to understand the burdens they are carrying. I must pray for the charity to listen to those whose opinions are different from my own in order to understand those opinions and learn from them. I must pray for the courage to challenge falsehood whenever it arises, in myself, in those I love, in those I agree with and with those whom I disagree, I must pray for all who are in positions of authority that they may exercise that authority for the good of all.
I must pray for the courage to protect life from conception to natural death, for if I believe that God is the Creator of life, then I have no right to end any life or stand idly by while others do.
Above all, I must pray that I live each day as the servant of the One I claim to love, not merely in words, but in all my actions, thoughts, and words.