Twenty four years ago today, April 19th, the nation suffered a horrendous loss as 168 men, women and children (19) were killed by a domestic terrorist bombing brought about by Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry L. Nichols. The bombing destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 16 block radius of Oklahoma City. The blast shattered glass in 258 other buildings and destroyed 86 cars. Besides the 168 people killed about 680 people suffered injuries from the blast. The emotional damages caused by the blast are immeasurable. Truly our nation suffered greatly and families are still suffering from their loss.
Five years after the bombing, on April 19th, 2000 the Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated at the site. The memorial consists of 168 stone and glass chairs representing each life lost. It is very sad to see them all, especially the 19 smaller chairs representing the children that were killed. Remembrance services are held every year on April 19th. Certainly this large tragedy can never be forgotten.
Directly across from the site of the bombing is the oldest parish church in Oklahoma City, St. Joseph Old Cathedral. The Cathedral was badly damaged but has been rebuilt. The parish rectory was destroyed by the explosion. At the site of the demolished rectory, the parish has placed their own memorial. It is an Italian marble statue of Jesus with His back towards the site of the bombing. Jesus has His head down and His hand over His face in sorrow. Around the statue are pillars representing the children and unborn babies who were killed by the blast. The name of the sculpture is “And Jesus Wept” (See picture on top). It was dedicated in 1998.
This year the anniversary of the bombing falls on Good Friday. I can’t help but to see a message for all of us in this. First of all, acts of terror such as these really show the depravity of those who plan them. They have no concern for the people who are so horrendously affected. To call this sin would be an understatement. It reflects the pure evil, the pure darkness that Jesus came to shed His light upon. It shows why Jesus endured so much suffering for the sin that permeates humankind.
Secondly, it shows how our knowledge of how Jesus suffered can help us in our own suffering. The Catholic Church has always placed redemptive value upon the sufferings that we find in our own lives. Somehow, our own sufferings are united with the sufferings of Jesus. Somehow His sufferings can help us in our sufferings. When we experience our own crosses, His cross helps us to endure.
Thirdly, we know that the sufferings and death of Jesus upon the cross led to the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning. People of faith know that even though we miss our loved ones when they die, some day we will all be back together in the precious gift of heaven. Jesus suffered and died and rose from the dead so that we might have life forever in the presence of our Heavenly Father.
We as Christians must do everything that we can to fight the evil within the world. We must fight it with hope and with love. The statue of Jesus weeping reminds us how Jesus joins in with us in mourning our losses and in mourning the sin and evil that can be so destructive to life. Everything about God is about LIFE. Everything about evil is about death. When we work with God, we work on the side of life. When we are caught up in sin and evil, we work on the side of death. God calls us to choose life, not death.