Our first response to evil must be justice, yet a part of us is never satisfied by justice alone. Faith tells us that all wrongs are righted, and all suffering redeemed. But that faith is tested, especially for those of you with empty chairs at home. Hardest of all is the loss of the children, of the lives taken so soon after they were given. I hope it helps to remember that we are never closer to God then when we grieve.
Faith is tested in suffering.
And faith is often born in suffering, for that is when we seek the hope we most need. That is when we awaken to the greatest hope there is, that is when we look beyond our lives to the hour when God will wipe away every tear, and death will be swallowed up in victory. On this earth, tragedy may come even on a warm spring day, but tragedy can never touch eternity. You in Oklahoma City are victims of tragedy and witnesses to hope. You have overcome evil, and you have suffered with courage.