Picture perfect would describe the weather in our neck of the woods today. Spring is in the air. I walked the old streets of Herrin this morning and of course, snapped some photos. I was struck by how safe I felt and contrasted that feeling with much of our world including the United States. Things have changed. I wonder if we do not all have a virus of violence and did not realize when we contracted it. Another school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. I have been to Nashville. Little nine-year-olds were shot and killed. Their minds were probably on summer break, friends, and some kid hijinx. They may have been studying for a book report or a math test or giggling at the funny faces each other made. They were probably thinking about a family vacation or perhaps learning how to play the piano…or art…

We are a bit insular. ‘Thank God my kids are alright…God has protected them,’ we say. Do you suppose that God did not know the names of those little nine-year-olds? ‘Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.’ What about the blood-soaked hair of the nine-year-old kids?

Surveys have illustrated that the majority of Americans want common-sense gun laws. To offer no more than thoughts and prayers is a sacrilege…

When my boys were young I worried about the evil that they would encounter. Reason and patience and perseverance can diffuse and ameliorate many difficult situations…none of these skills can negotiate with a semi-automatic weapon.

Safe is a fleeting and trodden-down concept. School is not safe…nor church…nor the grocery store…nor the theatre… Our Pandemic of Violence And Fear has many causes. Common Sense Gun Laws will not solve the problem…but they will help. We paint the kitchen while the living room is on fire…

Faith helps. Trusting in a higher power provides a road map for life. ‘They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Blessed is the King of Israel!’

So many decry the evils of abortion and point to the fact that the child in the womb of its mother is a precious life…and must be born no matter if it is the result of rape or if it endangers the life of the mom. What about the nine-year-olds…is not their life precious…don’t they deserve action to demonstrate our thought and prayers?

Grim Reaper walks among us and he is hungry for life. Those of us who feel the safest are perhaps next on his list. The joy of Easter is coming. The benevolent and loving message of Jesus of Nazareth is in our hearts. We are preparing to color our Easter Eggs and bite the ears off of our chocolate Easter Bunnies and attend Easter Church Service and proclaim, ‘He Is Risen…He Is Risen Indeed…but not the nine-year-olds of Nashville…