Catholic Stewardship of Emotions during Tragedy and Disaster

 

When Natural Disaster Strikes

When a natural disaster strikes, there are no easy answers.  The pain is so horrible and so raw that the mind begins to shut down. One question those of us a step removed from disaster need to ask ourselves, is how do we as good stewards handle the emotional impact of tragedy?  There are many very human reactions.  As a young person, I tried to hide from tragedy, never listening to the news, plugging my ears so I didn’t have to hear about anything that was sad. As a youth and young adult, I told myself that it was someone else’s problem and not my worry.  I built a thick shell and only acknowledged the bright side of life.  I learned that hiding from the bad in this world, or making it someone else’s problem didn’t make it go away. Sooner or later, we all have to face sadness and tragedy in our own lives, those of our loved ones, even our community and we need to be good stewards of our emotions to do that in a healthy way.  After working in a parish for many years, listening to stories of sadness that inevitably come to a church, helping to prepare funerals for old and young alike and being part of a community where I was aware of the tragedy and the joy in people’s lives, I learned through my dear Pastor and parish staff friends that turning to God is the only light in the darkness.  It is only right that we pray our way through tragedy in our own lives and in the lives of others.  Whether we are first responders, collectors of needed items, listeners to others grief, or givers of money, we are good stewards of our own emotions and warriors to help those hardest hit, if we pray without ceasing for God’s peace and presence in the midst of disaster.  A better person than I said:

“Jesus did not come to explain away suffering or remove it.  He came to fill it with His presence.”  Paul Claudel     This is not a pat answer or just easy words to say.  We are challenged to believe those words. I have heard many say when they look back on terrible tragedies in their lives, that God must have carried them through because without Him life would have been impossible.  Let us ‘steward’ (take care of) all who are suffering by responding as best we can by holding them continually in prayer.