Mexico and the United States of America are nations in mourning over the hate-filled shooting rampages in Gilroy, CA; El Paso, TX; and Dayton, OH. It is not only the USA that is grief stricken, but our neighbors in Mexico as well. To help these and other nations in the world who are struggling with overwhelming grief at this time, this post may offer some words of comfort for broken hearts, and hope for peaceful and Christ-like solutions for a world broken by ignorance and hate. Some of the victims’ names are mentioned here for additional prayers that could be sent their way by loving hearts from all over the world who are also grieving at a showing of the worst humanity has to offer to its brothers and sisters.
One fact that might help Americans realize that “Mexicans are not invading our country,” is to understand, first of all, that not all who look like Mexicans are illegal aliens, but have family roots here in the USA longer than the white folk who later settled here. Look at the map showing the 13 colonies compared to what is really going on in the country and who owns most of the land. They were always here. We are the newcomers.
Another fact is that El Paso, Texas and its sister city of Juarez in Mexico have a daily stream of people who drive and walk across the bridge in the border states to shop. This relationship has existed for years. It is not only Americans who are grieving the loss of God-given life.
In Gilroy, CA, the mother of Kayla Salazar, 13, said, “She took my hand and looked up at the sky.” Stephen Romero age 6, and Trevor Irby age 25 also lost their lives to gun violence. The shooter, 19-year old Santino Legan was later shot and killed by police.
In El Paso, 22 people have now lost their lives to the largest mass shooting in Texas, and 24 more were injured. Jordan Anchondo, 24, gave birth to her baby boy, Paul Gilbert, two months ago. At an El Paso Walmart, she gave her life to save his. She shielded the baby as she was being shot. Her husband tried to shield them both. Both she and her husband were both killed, but the baby, now a mass-shooting victim, had two broken fingers and was grazed by a bullet.
GoFund Me pages have been set up since no one expected their lives to be lost so early in their lives. Grammy-nominated singer Khalid, not forgetting his El Paso roots, plans on having a benefit for the families of this mass shooting.
El Paso victims also included Arturo Benavides age 60, an Army veteran; and Javier Amir Rodríguez age 15, a high school student and avid soccer player with Express Futbol Club, an El Paso soccer club for boys and girls. On Sunday the soccer club announced they are organizing a charity game to help with the Rodríguez family as well as for the soccer coaches who were also victims.
Elsa Mendoza Marquez age 57, was gunned down and killed. She was an elementary school teacher from Juarez, Mexico and mother of two adult children.
Juan Velazquez age 78, became the 22nd victim of the El Paso shooting.
El Paso shooter, Patrick Crusius, age 21, is arrested and being held with possible additional charges of hate crimes and federal firearms charges.
In Dayton, Ohio, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said that Megan Betts, age 22, was the first to be gunned down by her brother, Connor Betts who carried out the massacre. He was killed by a police officer prior to continuing this horror shooting as he was attempting to enter an extremely filled pub last Sunday.
Names of other shooting victims include:
Derrick Fudge, 57
Lois Oglesby, 27
Logan Turner, 30
Nicholas Cumer, 25
Thomas McNichols, 25
Beatrice Warren-Curtis, 36
Seed Sale, 38
Minicab Brickhouse, 39
We mourn these deaths and all those who have died needlessly from gun violence. Let us take a moment to remember the lives of these people, young and old, who have themselves given joy, love and hope to others during their lives.
Whenever there is a tragedy such as this, and the loss of loved ones, we ask over and over, WHY? Why Now?
In the Book of Ecclesiastes we read:
“To everything there is a season,
And a time to every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die …”
The deceased among us have made an abrupt turn in their journey and left us wondering. In our uncertainty, we seek comfort from one another and in that comfort we find strength, and in that strength, we share our healing love.
It can help to gather with family and friends at this time, to share the this loss and the losses in your lives that these situations bring up, even if the deaths you have experienced in your lives have been by natural causes and/or by illness. All of this seems untimely.
We are born into a life not of our own making. The Good God above, Father of Jesus Christ, send us his Holy Spirit if we ask for it, to help us through this life. Let us continue to pray for one another.
* I continue to extend a warm invitation to the worldwide meditation and prayer effort currently underway through July and August 2019. This is an international, concerted effort specifically addressing the inhumane conditions at the southern border of the United States of America and Mexico, as well as inhumane conditions globally. I extend this prayer to include all the mass shooting victims and their families affected in the Gilroy, CA; El Paso, TX; and Dayton, Ohio mass shootings. I also extend this prayer, asking the Good God above, Father of Jesus Christ, to send his Holy Spirit to be with the countries of Mexico and the United States as the necessary steps of healing and peaceful resolution can begin to take place. I also pray for sensible gun regulations in the United States of America so the country can move past willful ignorance and financial greed that has resulted in so many needless deaths. I am inviting all churches in all denominations in the world to invite all their parishioners to take part; and include all people without any church affiliation to participate. Scroll down to see how meditation and prayer reduced crime in Washington, D.C. by 48 percent.