Fr Robert Hendrickson

Dear Friends in Christ,

In moments of unspeakable tragedy, words often falter.

The violence of the recent school shooting in Minnesota has left communities shaken, families grieving, and hearts searching for a place to rest. Yet into this darkness, Scripture offers us a tender promise: “The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them” (Wisdom 3:1).

This verse does not erase the grief, nor does it diminish the horror of lives cut short. But it reminds us that death does not have the final word.

Those whose lives were taken are not lost to chaos. They are held in the very hands of God—hands that formed them, blessed them, and now cradle them in eternal peace.

For those of us who remain, sorrow is real and anger is natural. Yet we are never abandoned. The same God who shelters the departed also walks with the living. Christ himself wept at the tomb of his friend, and so we are free to weep, knowing our tears are holy.

In the valley of grief, may our prayers be not only for comfort, but also for the courage to build a safer world, where violence is not the story told in our schools. And may we trust that even in this brokenness, God’s hand is strong enough to carry us, and gentle enough to heal us.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert