03 | January | 2011 | Blogger Priest

Signs of Hope in a Culture of Death

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Father Joe

There are still signs of hope and of the kind of life to which we aspire. My thoughts turn to the terrible high school killings at Columbine High School a few years ago. A killer pointed his gun at young Cassie Bernall and asked what would be a life or death question: “Do you believe in God?” This Christian girl had turned her life around and given herself to Christ. She paused. This was the classical situation that many of us once laughed about when sister posed such a question in CCD. I am reminded of the bumper-sticker slogan, “If Christianity were a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Here was a child in this difficult situation. Even the great Apostle Peter, in a similar dilemma, denied our Lord three times. What would this girl say? Looking at the gun, she replied, “Yes, I believe in God.” The gunman asked her, “Why?” but did not give her a chance to answer. His shot rang out and she collapsed lifeless to the floor. She came to the library as a 17-year-old girl to study during lunch. When she left the library for the world to come, she did so as a modern Christian martyr. I would submit that she was also a martyr for life. She trusted that whatever the world might take away, Christ could restore.