Religion

 Good people, holy people of all ages and in all faiths, usually spend considerable time in prayer. They do their devotionals, or finger their beads, or say rosaries or center themselves in meditation. They attend worship services, listen to sermons, share hospitality or fellowship. They read inspirational books and pamphlets, participate in Bible studies or religiously oriented meetings and workshops. They also encourage others to follow suit, to join them in a search for God.

 The phone rang on a Sunday morning. I grabbed my cup of coffee, thinking it would be a daughter calling to share news, views and gulps of laughter as we typically do on weekends. I was correct, to a degree. However, the news to be shared would not evoke laughter. My daughter phoned to tell me that her sister, my eldest daughter, had died earlier that morning.

 In the past number of weeks, the media have called our attention to a variety of atrocities. Heading the list is the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 young Nigerian schoolgirls by the militant Islamic Boko Haram. Not far behind are the multiple incidents of abuse and murders seen both locally and nationally.

TIME magazine recently featured articles on date rape, saying America’s campuses are dangerous places for young women. One college town even earned the dubious honor of being named America’s Rape Capital.