Love Is the Answer

I was taken with what Mitt Romney had to say today about the shooting rampage in Colorado, particularly what he said about love. For a moment forget who said it and just reflect on it — because we do. It’s sometimes easy to forget during the rush of life. Meanwhile, it is what matters most. Governor Romney said:

This is a time for each of us to look into our hearts and remember how much we love one another and how much we love and how much we care for our great country. There’s so much love and goodness in the heart of America.

He focused on focusing on the victims — all too often the murderer is the person who unfortunately becomes the household name:

In the coming days, we’ll surely learn more about the lives that have been lost and the families that have been harmed by this hateful act. We’ll come to know more about the talents and the gifts that each victim possessed. And we’ll come to understand the hope and the opportunity that’s been lost.

Our hearts break for the victims and their families. We pray that the wounded will recover and that those who are grieving will know the nearness of God.

He went on:

Today we feel not only a sense of grief, but perhaps also of helplessness.

But there is something we can do. We can offer comfort to someone near us who is suffering or heavy laden, and we can mourn with those who mourn in Colorado.

This morning, Colorado lost youthful voices which would have brightened their homes, enriched their schools and brought joy to their families. Our prayer is that the Comforter might bring the peace to their souls that surpasses our understanding.

The Apostle Paul explained, “Blessed be God who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble.”

President Obama was also delivered presidential remarks, focusing on prayer and reflection. But his remarks were marred by inappropriate reaction from the audience – cheering and moving on from a moment of silence with chants of “four more years.”

Romney’s remark on love reminded me of President Reagan at the Berlin Wall. This is why we even have to bother with politics.

At moments like this — when the whole country is tuning in to the aftermath of an evil act — there is that helpless feeling. In the age of Twitter and the rest, to making premature or inappropriate pronouncements. What we can practically do is exactly as advised: Pray. And we can all look around right where we are and live and love more.