In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting, I was asked if the person who did it was evil. I said then, as I say tonight, 'He may be evil. I know that he was used by evil to do an evil thing.'
I have no easy, simple answers to the slaughter today in Texas. It is a monstrous evil of cruelty that lies beyond imagining. I want to do something to somehow prevent this from ever happening again.
I want to rage at the person who did this. I want to rage at those who I think made it possible. I want to rage against all those who refuse to believe as I do, assigning them some of the blame. I want to, but I know that it will not be the answer. It will only fuel the fires of hate that will ensure this will happen again, somewhere else, to someone else's children.
Perhaps a magic combination of laws will be enacted that will forever prevent such horrors. It may be that someone whose wisdom surpasses my own will see a way to shelter all the innocents from those who are evil or evil servants.
Perhaps I can consider my soul, admitting that the same beast that killed children today resides within me. I must pray for the mercy and forgiveness I need daily so that I will not even contemplate such a horror. Yet it cannot stop there; I must look upon every human being God places in my life, genuinely seeking to know and understand their burdens. I must be willing to face the evil that I know could enslave me, calling it out as I see it enslaving others.
I can name the evils, all the sins we so quickly sell ourselves to, not allowing anyone to comfort themselves with lies about the evil they lust after, as it were a small matter. I must engage in the task of following Jesus, who would not revile even those who crucified him but sought their redemption.
Jesus placed Himself between us and the power of sin and death. He paid with His blood and broken body. He took the cross upon Himself for our sake. He bids us do the same, taking up the cross to confront evil where it arises. He calls us to stand between evil and those it would harm. He calls us out of selfishness masquerading as my privilege. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "Love asks nothing in return but seeks those who need it. And who needs our love more than those who are consumed with hatred and are utterly devoid of love."