Our sorrow for victims of random acts of violence is important for us to express. I try to “let it hurt” every time I hear very sad news. But sad news is arriving in our ears and our eyes too often these days; that is one reason I stopped watching television more than 50 years ago. The bad news on tv came at me so fast that I could not process it. Same with the plots of the television shows. Many tv shows were about breaking the ten commandments, yet there was no sorrow or grief. I felt guilty because I was drawn in to listen to bad news and watch the shows. I am weak; other people are strong. I know my weakness, so I am trying to keep my humanity, for the love of God for my family’s sake. Keep your humanity; turn off the news and sit still for the love of God and the sake of the whole world.

We should let the hurts of others become our hurts. Jesus was “acquainted with grief.” We should process our grief. There are many families who have lost loved ones in recent weeks. We hardly have time to take in the latest act of violence before news before another overwhelms our senses. We know it can’t be “good for us” to watch and listen to all this. The reader already knows or or she is in danger of becoming less human on account of the way the news presses the public with sad stories that come faster than we can process them. God have mercy on us all. Don’t be jerked around by the way the news presents these awful events. There must be time and quiet for processing. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.” Save yourself before you are desensitized by the sad things that are happening. We will be healed if we allow ourselves the time and counsel to cry and forgive and grieve the loss that we and others are feeling. We will regain our humanity if we make ourselves stop and think and feel and forgive and pray for deliverance from evil. If we do not allow ourselves to mourn, we will lose our humanity to the demonic. Listen to me: the demonic does not grieve the loss that humans feel when someone dies. Only good guys grieve. We have to be the good guys. We have to help one another be brave to grieve, even if we do not know the people who have experienced random acts of violence.

The future of everything good is at stake, so remember, “Blessed are those who mourn; they will be comforted.” Mourning is a conscious act, a meditation on what grieving families must feel. Mourning will protect your humanity, and believe me, our humanity is in the balance.

The Lutherans have been thinking about this. A charity called Hearts of Mercy and Compassion will deliver to the site of mass shooting a cross for every victim, if the families want this public gesture. On the cross is a heart on which strangers can write a message of their grief. The charity writes:

As we journey together, we can share in each other’s sorrows and celebrations. The heart itself is universal and conveys love. The color blue is the color of hope and the fish a symbol of God’s saving grace. Upon request, Lutheran Church Charities, working through churches, can provide a heart of mercy and compassion at no charge.

You can find out more about Lutheran Church Charities here and here.