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God's voice in Katrina
When Hurricane Katrina was forcing its will on the cities and the people of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, it seemed the voice that could be heard was the roaring of an angry wind and the human cry for help and for God. In the deafening silence of the days following Katrina, it might have seemed that God’s voice was silent through it all. We’re human and it’s natural, at a time of great sorrow, to ask, “Where was God”?
God was in the fearful mother driven only by her desire to protect her children. God was in the heroic acts of men and women who risked their lives, some losing them, to save those they loved and those they hardly knew. God truly was present in Katrina, even the darkness it brought, allowing us to see how fragile life can be, and how when the storm is quiet, all that we ever had that truly mattered was him and each other.
In the face of the devastation of Katrina, God was not silent. His voice has been heard in the welcoming words, embraces and hard work of literally thousands of people involved in restoring the lives of evacuees. God’s voice can be heard when parents in shelters and make-shift homes, comfort their distraught children. God’s voice can be heard in the children’s laughter as they play, even after their tender lives were assaulted by a terrifying storm. His voice can be heard clearly in the hope that comes from evacuees’ voices raised in prayer, affirming their faith in love, goodness and life.
In the Gospel of Matthew, as he tells the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fish, the disciples were concerned that they could not feed the thousands who had been listening to Jesus preach that day. They wanted to send them away, but Jesus told them, “There is no need to go away, give them some food yourselves.” The disciples looked at how little they had, but still did what he told them and the miracle happened, and all were fed.
Today, even in the face of our modest means, we have seen the miracle of healing begin as we listen to the voice of God, and have given so much to our brothers and sisters of the storm. We have also been God’s hands and his strength, as we have fed the hungry, clothed the naked and comforted the mourning.
As the headlines fade, the newscasts become emptied of the crisis of Katrina; our evacuees will have become neighbors. As a community we must make sure that we continue the work God has begun in the wake of this terrible moment. We cannot let this moment of grace, this opportunity for the outpouring of God’s love and acceptance be tossed aside like yesterday’s news.
I have faith that as the storm of evacuee busses and midnight airlifts become a part of San Antonio’s legend and lore of Katrina, that our legacy from the storm will be a reaffirmation of God’s love and compassion for those in need. The poor and suffering are here, even when the TV cameras aren’t. Let them hear God’s voice in us, even when their needs are hidden in the monotony of tomorrow.
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