Of Abel and Cain
We live in deeply divisive times fueled by mistrust and hatred. The attempted assassination of former President Trump last week only proves this, and we can be thankful that he survived and did not further escalate the tension in our country to a potential point of no return. However, we also mourn those who were injured and the death of Corey Comperatore. I don’t know much about Mr. Comperatore other than what the various news outlets tell us. I know he was a former fire chief and his neighbors thought highly of him. I also know that as the bullets rang out, Corey Comperatore sacrificed his life and threw his body in front of his wife and daughter to protect them from harm.
I have a friend who was at the 2017 music festival in Las Vegas when the deadliest mass shooting in US history occurred. I can remember him telling the story that when he heard the first of the over 1,000 bullets fired towards the crowd, all he could think to do was to throw his body over his wife to protect her. When Mark tells the story of him and Paula trying to navigate out of the stands to safety, seeing the carnage and chaos, I’m overwhelmed by emotion for him and all the other families impacted by that dreadful night in Vegas.
All week I’ve only been able to dwell on this verse: “This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). I’m thankful that Mark and Paula are still here and that I can continue to cherish their friendship. I’m thankful for the sacrificial love of Corey Comperatore and continue to grieve for his family. Lord, this world needs your peace, justice, and love. May it come soon.
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