The scepter of evil will not remain in the land given to the righteous

As we have so graphically verified this week, evil exists in this world. But God has also put a limit on it. It can only manifest for a moment, but then it has to give the space to a Higher and Noble Power, who ultimately has all control.

We are people of faith. We believe in a benevolent God who holds history with a steady hand; who, although allowing hatred and fanaticism to have their moment, has also declared time and again, through the many voices of faith in this millennium, that in the end, good will prevail; that, yes, "weeping may remain at night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:50).

Events like the one that hurt us that sunny Monday afternoon just a couple of days ago remind us that we live in a mysterious world, where a loving and sovereign God sometimes allows a small spark of negative energy to penetrate our domain. , but only to ennoble us and to extract from us an even greater portion of generosity and goodness.

The dilemma of evil is that even when it carries out its dark and sinister work, it always ends up reinforcing the good and making the very light that it so desperately tries to extinguish to shine brighter.

We have all been inspired by the images and anecdotes of heroism and goodness that emerged from the first moment this terrible tragedy occurred: In our weaknesses, we are made strong. In our sufferings, we have been inspired to pray for one another. In our wounds, we have extended comfort. In our diversity, we have come together. In our perplexity, we have been inspired to run to God, and to remember that no matter how strong, swift, or outstanding we are, we are, in the long run, frail children of eternity, capable of finding true hope and comfort only in the breast of the Lord. Father, in the tranquility of prayer and in spiritual humility.

In that paradox of weakness that we have entered, we can obtain more grace and be stronger, better channels for God's grace to flow in this fallen world.

This is a small and immediate comfort, of course, for those who find themselves in a hospital bed contemplating a life that has been irrevocably transformed, or who mourns a loss or an injured loved one. We pray that they too will receive the grace to see beyond this moment of suffering, and to believe that their lives are still far from over; so that they can stand up from their pain and loss and become spiritually stronger and more agile human beings; so that they can find the fullness of life and happiness and gain personal fulfillment in the new normal of the world in which they live.

May they never allow bitterness or hatred to linger in their souls for more than just a moment. May they receive the peace that passes all understanding. Hopefully they can translate the apostle Paul's words of reassurance into their own spiritual language:

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? The Tribulation or the anguish, the danger or the persecution, the hunger, the destitution, or the violence? Even in these things we are more than conquerors in the one who loves us. " (Romans 8: 35-37)

God's love still has the last word. God hasn't forgotten Boston. God has not forgotten our nation. He simply weaves a beautiful, radiant tapestry that includes a few dark threads.