Celebrate Life

I've lived in Boston for only seven months, but after this week I am starting to understand what being a Bostonian is about. On Monday, our city was attacked during its proudest hour, the Boston Marathon. An event whose purpose is to celebrate the marvelous potential of human beings was choked by the human potential for evil. Throughout the week we mourned and we asked a lot of questions. I was blessed to join thousands of people outside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross where Barack Obama, Cardinal O'Malley, the mayor of Boston, and my own pastor, among others, led a powerful multi-faith prayer service. Then on Friday the gravity of the events came to affect me most profoundly.

Memorial outside the scene of the Boston Marathon

Thursday night there was a shootout between Boston police and the two suspects in the bombings. Earlier, an MIT police officer had been tragically killed as he sat in his patrol car. One of the suspects died in the shootout, the other escaped and was at large all day Friday. The city shut down. All citizens of Boston were asked to stay inside so that a massive manhunt could unfold.

I stayed inside all day, not feeling threatened but feeling helpless. It is frustrating when the most helpful thing to do is to do nothing. I have never watched more news than I did that day. Although I always avoid becoming addicted to the endlessly repeated clips and quips of disaster coverage, it's different when there is 24 hour coverage of your own city. Somewhere among the suite of varied emotions was a powerful joy. It occurred to me just how much of a joy it was merely to be alive.

In the Jewish tradition, there is a song commonly sung at Passover, called Dayenu. Dayenu (דַּיֵּנוּ) is a Hebrew word essentially meaning "it would have been enough." It would have been enough, the song says, if God had only delivered us from Egypt. This sentiment occurred to me last Friday as I sat safely hunkered in my apartment with my sister and my friends nearby. It would have been enough, God, if you had just let me live.

But God does so much more than what is enough. God blesses us beyond our ability to comprehend. After tragedy, God holds us as we rebuild. God allows us to gather in God's own Holy name and find comfort. God allows us to forgive and move on while still being touched. When Jesus rose from the tomb, the scars left by His ordeal were still visible, a testament to what he had endured. Our pain will fade, but our wounds can remain. God will affirm them and make us stronger.

In the face of tragedy, may all mourning be accompanied by hope for what God will do and by joy for what God is doing. May our overpowering emotions remind us of the depth with which human beings are capable of feeling. And may we celebrate life, allowing ourselves to be reminded that it would have been enough merely to live.

Let's not forget the achievements of the marathon winners!