The Lord is Kind and Merciful

The refrain, "The Lord is Kind and Merciful" made me wince today. At first I smiled when I heard the first few notes and thought, "Yes, He is." But then to mind came the friends and families, especially the mothers (two of them were a grade ahead of me in highschool), of the three young men all under 20 years of age who died this week. I thought, "Yeh, try to convince them that the Lord is Kind and merciful." (I'm glad the Lord can handle a little sarcasm.) When three young men and one 41 year old man die within days of each other via car and gun accidents, one has to pause.

But then Father Bob spoke enthusiastically in his homily of St. Paul's words "Thy grace is sufficient." Yes, there is suffering associated with those who follow Christ. But isn't suffering almost a necessary rite of passage to attain what most cannot readily see?

I remember a small verse from a hymn that I memorized once:

"When through fiery trials our pathways shall lie. Thy grace all sufficient will buy thy supply. The flame will not hurt thee, I only design, thy dross to consume, thy gold to refine."

Pray that those families and friends will grasp the Lord's hand and steadily walk through the flames. Pray that their faith will only become stronger when they come through this. Pray that they will be able to one day sincerely say, "Yes, the Lord is Kind and Merciful."