Trying to research for this essay I was flooded with too many instances of schools, colleges, houses of worship, entertainment venues that have been targets of catastrophic and deadly attacks to even reference. Each was horrific, dastardly, violent and deadly.
Ever since the Columbine High School shootings I have believed that it and the following attacks, shooting and bombings all have one thing in common.
Each was a glimpse of the face of evil. If you are a believer you can understand that you were given a look at the devils work.
In the Christian world St. Michael the Archangel is the warrior of God and a portion of the prayer for his help reads “O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and the evil sprits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”
The latest attack putting the power of evil on display is the killing of Jewish Shabbat service congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Eleven faithful Jews had gathered for their weekly service, including a baby naming ceremony, were killed by a stranger who invaded the holy place. Those who were survivors may already know that they have seen the face of the devil in the person of the shooter and bodies of their friends and neighbors.
It is my belief that individuals who have lost faith and gone awry in terms of their humanity have given the devil a fertile field to do his work. Corrupting the weak, the prideful, the mentally small are easy targets that can be molded for the purposes of evil.
Pointing blame is a worthless device. Evil exists, has always and always will. Adam and Eve were the first victims of the devils work. Biblically portrayed as a serpent in the Garden of Eden he tricked Eve to oppose God’s instruction to avoid the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satans’ first success resulted in their banishment and exile into a life very different than what was planned for them.
Shortly after we see another example of how the devil works. Cain kills Abel after he became convinced that Abel was the more favored son. Ask where did that thought pattern take hold in Cain’s mind?
History is filled with visits from the evil one. Man always make the mistake of looking at those occasions purely from a human point of view. I am not saying that we ignore the facts or the people and methods that were instruments of chaos and death. What I am saying is that the base is not worldly.
The only defense and way to minimize and hopefully eliminate the attacks is to reach out to God for protection and grace.
My daily supplication is “St. Michael the Archangel protect us in battle. Drive the barbarians created by the evil one back into the abyss where they came from in the name of God. Amen” You would be well advised to add this prayer to yours.