"What a Wonderful World"

One of the predominant messages of today's liturgy involved encouraging us to rejoice, to sing out with praise and thanks for the many glorious people and gifts in our lives. In keeping with this theme, my choir sang Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" as our second Communion hymn.

I'm sure that many of you have heard this song many times, but for any of you who haven't, here are the lyrics.

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying, "I love you"

I hear babies cry; I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself
What a wonderful world

In light of the tragic events in Newton, Connecticut on Friday, December 14, singing this song, and the fourth stanza in particular, was a rather difficult emotional experience for me. At my tutoring job, the majority of my students are grade school-aged, and the thought of anything even slightly bad happening to any of them makes me sick to my stomach. I cannot even conceive of the pain and suffering of the loved ones of the dead, the other teachers and students of Sandy Hook Elementary, and the members of that community.

For people all around the world, events like this bring about a torrent of strong, negative emotions. We feel sadness, fear, anger, worry, and confusion. It is all so hard to understand and to deal with. We can never fully make sense of what happened or figure out 'why'. 

What, then, can we do?

When senseless tragedy occurs, I believe there are two positive responses we can embrace.

First, we can endeavour to be more prayerful. We can try to make our prayers not only more frequent, but especially more fervent. We can strive to quiet ourselves, and let go of the busy noise around us, and focus our minds and hearts solely on God and those for whom we are praying. When we pray, we can speak meaningfully and genuinely from the heart.

Let us pray wholeheartedly for the innocent victims of the Sandy Hook shooting, that they may receive salvation and be united with God in the splendour of Heaven. Let us pray for their loved ones left behind, and they face such unbearable grief, that they can feel the comforting presence of God, and can ultimately achieve a sense of healing and peace. Let us also pray for the other members of the community, and the world at large, that fear, devastation, and other negative emotions can be lessened with time.

Second, as we have discussed in recent blog posts, let us cultivate a greater, stronger attitude of thankfulness for the wonderful gifts God has given us, namely the beautiful, loving people in our lives. Let us refuse to take one moment with them for granted. Rather, let us regularly express our love and gratitude to these special people. Let us honour them, cherish them, and celebrate them. Let us love them with the fullness of our being. Let not an opportunity pass us by to rejoice in their presence in our lives.

 Of course, as we have discussed in past blogs, prayer and gratitude are not separate entities; in fact, they are very much linked. Let us strive to also express in prayer our heartfelt gratitude unto God, for God is the giver of all the beautiful gifts in our lives.

 May God bless, protect, and comfort each and every one of you, today and always.

 Karen