We Have All Been Wounded

The following was written in response to the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, in the evening of October 25th. The shooter is still at large on the morning of October 27th.

A second sad morning has dawned in Maine. At least 18 people in Lewiston are dead and many others injured or in critical condition because of one man’s evil mind and heart and the nation’s never-ending addiction to guns. I never thought that a mass shooting of this scope would ever happen in Maine, but it did, and two days later we still don’t see the conclusion and outcome of one man’s acts of violence. Indeed, how evil can one man be? What pious or politically correct words can replace the reality of this event or put it “in perspective.” There is no perspective, except the perspective of evil that lurks in the hearts of many men who are driven to such horrible acts.

May the all-merciful God look upon Maine – especially the people of Lewiston-Auburn. The Lord Jesus Christ died so that we may die with hope. We pray that the victims of this shooter will awaken in the embrace and peace of the eternal Christ. May God comfort all who lost loved ones ! May the Lord’s healing grace restore those who survived but were wounded in both body and spirit. We all were wounded in our spirits! Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy! May goodness and love replace the evil that lurks in the hearts of many.

Only the Lord can transform hearts and minds. But St. Paul wrote, “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:2). The renewal of our minds and hearts starts with training our minds to see the truth and to live in the truth, instead of destroying the truth. When we reject the truth and replace the truth with lies, we are opening the door for evil to seize control of men like this shooter in Lewiston.

May we all become workers of the truth. The truth will set us free indeed (John 8:32), but only when we work together and pray together, so that the Son of God will guide us through times of tragedy and horror. I hope we will be together at the Sunday Liturgy, so we can pray for the healing of minds and hearts that are in the grip of evil. And we will pray for the victims of Wednesday’s shootings and their families who grieve; and for all of us who have been wounded in our spirits by the evil that has now reached our beautiful state.
In God’s mercy and love,
Father Constantine Sarantidis