Agony

That's the song we've been singing in our house for the last week. It's one of the comical songs from the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods which Boone Grove High School recently produced. For no reason, and at random times someone in our family might just break into the chorus singing, "Agony! How you cut like a knife." It was a funny play (with even funnier renditions playing at our house daily) but real agony is felt in our nation.

What happened at Virginia Tech was a great tragedy and one that will not quickly be forgotten. At least I hope so. I don't want it to be forgotten because this tragedy speaks not of the miscues of the campus police or of the doctor's mis-diagnosis or even of Virginia's or University's policies on gun control. This tragedy is about the human condition.

Every day I hear or read another argument how this could have been avoided had gun control been legislated differently, if the VT "gun free school zone" policy had been rescinded, if professors and students had been allowed to carry concealed weapons, if, if, if...

The if's are only pointed fingers in order to blame something else, someone else, to refuse to look at what might be a deeper problem...we missed an opportunity to help a lost kid!

Yes, I said "we." It wasn't the doctors or the faculty or even the students. It wasn't the various campus ministries that represented ecumenical faith communities or even the church. The fault lies with all of us.

We are in agony because this young man was in agony because we didn't reach out to make a difference. It's partly our fault.

The group Superchic[k] has a song entitled Hero, written after the Columbine massacre.

No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him
Cause you want to belong, do you go along?
Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
It's not like you hate him or want him to die
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side
And a kindness from you might have saved his life
Heroes are made when you make a choice

[Chorus:]
You could be a hero - heroes do what's right
You could be a hero - you might save a life
You could be a hero- you could join the fight
For what's right, for what's right, for what's right.

Could something have been done to prevent this tragedy? Maybe. Just maybe the answer is us.

I've been silent on the tragedy at Virginia Tech, not because I want to avoid the conversation but because there seems to be so much being said that one more voice, even if rational and wise, might be drowned out by the flood of opinions and commentary and the unending newscasts. I've read the Bishop's call (and other's) to prayer, some other's call to action (although they haven't specified what that is), the call for more legislation (or maybe signs posted - NO GUNS in School as Ann Coulter said this morning). And of everything I have read and heard, the best solution I've found so far to fix the agony we feel is to become who God called us to be.

Yes, much of the agony that is felt is guilt, not because any of us could have stopped this tragedy, but all of us can stop one of them, by being the body of Christ right where we are. There are other Seung-Hui Cho's, Eric Harris' and Dylan Klebold's (Columbine, CO) out there, maybe even next door. And their agony will not be fixed by gun control legislation favoring either side. Their agony can only be healed by grace...


...from God...


...through people like us every day.


Peace for today and for eternity for the victims of the VT Massacre
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