When you read this posting, it will be a week since two tragic incidents happened on opposite sides of the globe with similar results but widely dissimilar responses. On Saturday, December 13, students at Brown University were studying for final exams, and finishing course papers and projects. A man walked on campus, entered the Barus and Holley Engineering building, and started randomly shooting a loaded gun. The result was nine people seriously injured and two killed. The shooter quietly walked out of the building and off the campus, and as of this writing, he has not been identified or caught despite a massive search led by FBI agents and local Providence, Rhode Island police.

At the same time, in Sydney, Australia on a public space called Bondi Beach, people gathered to celebrate the opening of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Two individuals, later identified as a father and son, rode on motorcycles toward the group. As they buzzed by, they opened fire on the worshippers. When the firing stopped, fifteen people had died, and 38 were sent to the hospital for treatment. Later, when the assassins were caught and arresed they said they acted out of hatred for Jewish people.

Two events occurring almost at the same time and day, one in Sydney, Australia, and the other in Providence, Rhode Island. Tragedies both – one against unsuspecting college students, the other against unsuspecting Jewish worshippers. When I read about the shootings, I was both horrified and surprised by the synchronicity of the events…. until I got to the end of the articles. 

In the article about the shooting at Brown University, many of the polticians all the way up to the President, acknowledged the tragedy and said they are praying for the victims of this horrible atrocity. In the article about the shooting In Austrailia, politicians also spoke up, but their words were quite different. Australian leaders promised they would propose new measures to tighten the gun laws in the country, such as limiting the number of guns a person can own and requiring the regular renewal of one’s gun ownership. Those leaders are under public pressure because the laws they have already passed are not comprehensive enough to stop the Bondi Beach tragedy. Sadly, except for a few op ed columnists, no criticism has been coming against the American politicians.

I am a Christian, and I pray regularly, so I am not one to dismiss anyone’s prayers. But there are two things I have learned about prayer. First, prayer is not a replacement for action but a call to action. When we pray for situations or people in need, we need to realize God may be using that prayer for action from US. And the second thing about prayers is that very often WE are the answer to our prayer. If we are not willing to act when and where we can in answer to our own prayer, we best not waste our time hypocritically saying we care and we will pray. That is where the Australian leaders acted accordingly, and the U.S. leaders failed miserably.

It is exhausting to learn of mass shootings of all kinds that could be prevented if political leaders would act to protect the people they are elected to serve.  We all need to go to prayer, but as we pray, we need to ask, what can we do to fight the pandemic of gun-related deaths and injury?  We ought to call out in whatever way we can to our local, state, and federal leaders to get off their hypocritical asses and take action. 

The bottom line is that this is a problem that can be addressed. We need to make a call or send a card to our reps and say, “Now is the time.  No more delays. No more excuses. No more prayers. Action is what we want.”