Whispered Prayers

It breaks my heart to hear of the mass shooting that took the lives of several people at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky on Monday, April 10, 2023. Each of the victims was somebody’s child, or sibling, or parent, grandparent, partner, spouse, friend…

The aftermath of a mass shooting is almost incomprehensible in its reach and scope. Lives of those wounded are changed forever. Communities grieve alongside families shattered with loss and sadness. Prayers are whispered in solitude and shouted from pulpits. And faith is shaken.

As details emerge, news agencies attempt to inform the curious and social media explodes with innumerably varied opinions. Folks from across our nation recognize a previously unfelt connection to people who personally endured the tragedy. Activists of all persuasions begin to spin the event to support their own agendas. And some even try to find political gain from the fallout.

Like a tornado, whirling from a single point to a massive funnel stretching miles into the sky, a mass shooting gathers everything into a single point. A point in time. A point after which everything changes for the victims and the families of the victims who were perhaps somebody’s child, sibling, parent, grandparent, partner, spouse, friend…

My faith is shaken. My prayers are whispered. My heart is broken for the victims, families, and community affected by the tragedy at Old National Bank.