Where is God in the tsunami? The ways of God are inscrutable, but I see God in the outpouring of love and support.PARINKA WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER DEC. 26, 2004. IT was the day her mother was washed out to sea by the giant wave, leaving her an orphan at just 9 years old. Parinka is one of the lucky ones. Saved by her grandfather, she has a chance for a normal life, but the sadness in her beautiful brown eyes Brown Eyes (브라운 아이즈) was a Korean musical duo, specializing in ballads. Although both members have powerful voices, they were initially disregarded because of their physical looks. may never quite go away. While most of us in the West were still basking in the glow of Christmas, people on the other side of the world were running for their lives. The powerful tsunami that rose from the Indian Ocean Indian Ocean, third largest ocean, c.28,350,000 sq mi (73,427,000 sq km), extending from S Asia to Antarctica and from E Africa to SE Australia; it is c.4,000 mi (6,400 km) wide at the equator. It constitutes about 20% of the world's total ocean area. and wreaked havoc on 11 countries in South Asia This article is about the geopolitical region in Asia. For geophysical treatments, see Indian subcontinent. South Asia, also known as Southern Asia and East Africa destroyed lives, limbs, and livelihoods. This massive wall of water--10 to 15 feet high at some points--leveled thatched thatch n. 1. Plant stalks or foliage, such as reeds or palm fronds, used for roofing. 2. Something, such as a thick growth of hair on the head, that resembles thatch. 3. Dead turf, as on a lawn. tr.v. huts and concrete homes alike, sparing neither poor fisherman nor rich tourist. It was one of the most lethal natural disasters ever recorded. Two weeks later I visited the southeastern coast of India to see the devastation firsthand. What I saw is difficult to describe. The images will never be erased from my memory. The dead bodies had been cleared away when I arrived, but in Chennai, Chengalpattu, and Pondicherry trees were uprooted and homes, boats, and fishing nets were completely destroyed. Personal and household items were strewn strew tr.v. strewed, strewn or strewed, strew·ing, strews 1. To spread here and there; scatter: strewing flowers down the aisle. 2. among the debris. In Pondicherry, on the threshold of what had once been someone's home, an iron was perched as if it were just waiting to be picked up to finish the weekly chore. The people I met were traumatized by what they had experienced. Most are now homeless. Many have lost family members, loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl , neighbors, and friends. Some, having fished and lived on the sea all of their lives, no longer want to return to the water. While relief and rehabilitation efforts will eventually enable many of them to rebuild their lives and return to some semblance of normalcy nor·mal·cy n. Normality. Noun 1. normalcy - being within certain limits that define the range of normal functioning normality , things will never be the same again. As I stood among the rubble on the shore at Chennai, watching the ocean waves move in and out placidly, I realized that I couldn't really understand what it must have been like to have lived through it--how frightening it must have been, how helpless, alone, and abandoned the people must have felt. How could a loving God allow such death and destruction? Where was God in this disaster? Where do people turn, if not to God, when they have lost everything, when their family, friends, and neighbors are gone? Deep down I know there is no point in asking the "why" question. After all, God's inscrutable ways are not our own. Nevertheless, as a person of faith, it's the love, not the wrath, of God that I see in this tragedy. I see God in the tremendous generosity and outpouring of support from people around the world. In the hours and days following the disaster, hundreds of thousands of people opened their hearts. They donated millions of dollars, a variety of goods, and their own gifts and talents to those in need. Even a poor parish in Pondicherry took up a collection to help their less fortunate neighbors. I see God in the many expressions of concern for and solidarity with the victims. People of all faiths offered prayers on behalf of those affected, mourned for those who died, and cried with those who suffered, especially the children. I see God in the gratitude and hope for the future expressed by the survivors. Families have been lost, but, miraculously, new families are being created. THE TERRIBLE IMAGES IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS FOLLOWING this historic tsunami Tsunami occur most frequently in the Pacific Ocean, but are a global phenomenon; they are possible wherever large bodies of water are found, including inland lakes, where they can be caused by landslides. have brought home our human vulnerability. But they've also shown that this is one world, one planet--and that a disaster for one is a disaster for all. The giant wave that rose from the ocean with force and fury leveled everything in sight. But in the process it touched the hearts of millions of people all over the world and reminded us that we are one big family. Only God's love could have done that. By JOAN F. NEAL v. t. 1. To anneal. v. i. 1. To be tempered by heat. , vice president for U.S. operations at Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic community. Founded in 1943 by the U.S. bishops, the agency provides assistance to 80 million people in 99 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the in Baltimore. Visit www.uscatholic.org for links to make online donations to tsunami relief efforts by CRS CRS Course CRS Certified Residential Specialist (real estate certification) CRS Central Reservation System CRS Can't Remember Stuff (polite form) CRS Cost Reduction Strategy CRS Consumer Relations Specialist and other groups. |
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