Tragedy comes in many forms; sometimes through earthquake, fire or flood, sometimes through deeply personal loss of other kinds. Whether from overseas conflicts or the loss of life on our roads, our awareness of a suffering world is never far below the surface.
The daily news cycle presents us with a smorgasbord of suffering. How does such pain and conflict make sense to people of faith? Is it appropriate to raise hard questions about death and violence, or should “religious” people hold their tongues about the seeming inconsistencies of maintaining a position of faith in the face of such trauma?
For most of us exploring our inner beliefs can be a relatively superficial pursuit until we are confronted with personal bereavement, observing the aftermath of so-called natural disasters or watching extremely disturbing images on the evening news. Then we may enter the area of what we might label applied faith. At this point we meet another potential cause for confusion, which is sometimes described as the absence of God.
We all carry a set of beliefs with us, whether we are religious or not. These are shaped by our upbringing, ethics, morals and personal philosophies about life and meaning. Ask those who serve our community as police, paramedics, firefighters or volunteers in various roles and some will share the fact that their work changes their view of life and others will state quite readily that they are affected not only psychologically but spiritually.
“Trauma-informed counselling” is the term now used to address such matters, but chaplains of various faith backgrounds are increasingly involved to support both emergency services workers and members of the public as well. Vicarious grief and corporate grief are realities that affect individuals, communities and workplaces.
I don’t claim that my faith is not challenged by tragedy, but there are many faith-renewing aspects of life for which I also have no answers, yet which speak of God who works through others in sustaining and restorative ways.
The selfless courage of those who put their lives on the line in dangerous situations, the compassion and bonding of whole communities and towns in times of adversity – all speak to me of a remarkable shared determination to overcome, to heal, to support, to respect the wonder of life and the uniqueness of the individual.
Purpose and meaning can regain their buoyancy even when seemingly erased.
Renewing spiritual resilience in the aftermath of tragedy is inevitably a team effort, the product of loving our neighbour and allowing ourselves to be loved.
Jim Pilmer is a retired senior chaplain with Victoria Police.