Hi all, 

On the one hand, it’s hard to believe that we’re coming to you just after a mass shooting for the second week in a row — the year’s most deadly attack, in Buffalo, immediately followed by the year’s new most deadly attack, in Uvalde. On the other hand, it isn’t hard to believe because America has had more mass shootings than days in 2022, 27 of those shootings in schools. Words continue to feel insufficient. But continue to speak them — to pray, to mourn, to advocate, to seek justice, to bring comfort, to live in solidarity and love. We hope that what we provide helps ground you when you are disoriented, resonates with you where you need validation, and challenges you where God is already working. We pray and work alongside you for a world a little closer to the Kingdom of God.  

Sy’s recommendations: 

• I don’t feel like there is anything I can do about the shooting in Uvalde, Texas other than lament. Or at least, not anything that is feasible. There are many things we could do to prevent these tragedies, which are the unsurprising result of policy choices. But the strength of the forces aligned in favor of an endless supply of guns is itself yet another tragedy. That’s why I’m recommending this piece from yesterday by Talia Lavin. She writes of the ceaseless grief Americans feel, or should feel, as we survey the consequences of our actions, beginning the piece by reflecting on Francisco de Goya’s painting “Saturn Devouring His Son.” It’s a chilling post, but it helped me name feelings and articulate thoughts about the horror in which America has decided it is necessary to live. I hope it can do the same for you.