Below is a letter from Fr. Jim Conroy, SJ, director of the Jesuit Collaborative about Hurricane Sandy.  I thought it was worth sharing….

Dear Friends,
Hurricane Sandy has devastated communities up and down the East Coast, upending our lives in ways that were unimaginable just a few days ago.
Such devastation can leave us dazed and overwhelmed, raising questions that are difficult to articulate much less answer.
Why did this happen? What does it all mean? How do we cope with such destruction? Where is God in this?

In the midst of great loss and uncertainty, we search for solid ground, a way out, something to hang on to, some answers.
Perhaps we might begin by asking God for the grace to see and understand what God wants us to see and understand, by thanking God for being alive, for those who survived, for the generosity and heroic efforts of friends, neighbors and first responders, for the sun coming out again.
We might ask God:

•  to give us the grace of wisdom and understanding to know that God is with us in the devastation and of courage to pick up and move forward with our lives
•  to help us pay attention to our experience: the confusion and chaos of our lives interrupted, the desolation, the physical and emotional suffering, the loss of lives, of homes that have been in families for generations, of places and things we have treasured
•  to console us and others who have lost so much, and to strengthen those who are picking up the pieces, helping save lives and bring back lands, leading and contributing to the recovery efforts
• to restore in us a sense of hope to look forward with longing to the future, toward a brighter tomorrow. And to pray with Isaiah:

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? – Isaiah 43:19.

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.