In a tiny way I came closer than I ever want to come yesterday to feeling personally the impact of terrorism.
Two Sundays ago at the end of our mid-morning service we applauded and prayed for a member of our congregation who was heading off with his young family to fulfill a dream and run in the Boston marathon.
Thanks to the marvels of modern communication technology, we were able to discover quickly that Dad, Mum and their two small girls were fine yestereday afternon. But there were moments before we heard as the news grew more grim by the minute, when many of us carried a sick sense of fear in our stomachs.
For too many people the impact of the April 15 Boston bomb attack will not end with a good news email. The tragic consequences of Monday's explosion will continue to reverberate in their lives for years to come.
It breaks my heart that anyone would feel driven to put beautiful young families at risk in order to make a political statement. I understand the mentality that feels impotent in the face of vast military might. I can comprehend that there are people who feel innocent civilians are being destroyed by foreign powers every day and that those who kill civilians in foreign lands should not be able to carry out their attacks with impunity.
There is no doubt that the children who die in armed conflict in war-torn countries far from the Boston Marathon are every bit as precious to their families as the young family from our church who were sharing in the triumph of their father's fantastic finish in a restaurant near the end of the run when the bombs went off.
But planting an explosive device in the midst of a massive crowd gathered for a public celebration, will never solve the desperately complex and painful problems facing so many nations in the world. No violent act has ever moved anyone closer to peaceful coexistence. Acts of terror whether sanctioned by governments or carried out by rogue terror cells, always perpetuate further violence.
When we gathered in church two Sunday's ago and sent off the young family from our community to share in the thrill of the Boston Marathon, we sent them out from a small community that gathers each week to affirm the deepest values of life.
The fact that communities still gather solely to celebrate the gifts of life, is the only hope for the world community.
We gather each Sunday to encourage one another in living lives of loving kindness. We gather to nurture peace and goodwill in our midst. We come together to practice being in community in ways that are non-violent and respectful of all people.
Apart from these qualities that I believe are gifts given to hearts that desire to open to the Divine Source of all life, there is little hope that future events that garner massive crowds and international attention will ever be free of the threat of violence and terror.
Of course the world community must seek to bring to justice those who perpetrate horrific acts of violence. But, in the end, peace will only prevail because small groups of people gather to nurture peace in their hearts and to support one another in living more peaceful lives.
Christopher Page is the rector of St. Philip Anglican Church in Oak Bay, and the Archdeacon of Tolmie in the Anglican Diocese of B.C. He writes regularly at: www.inaspaciousplace.wordpress.com
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