As an eighty-year old retired clergyman I have thought much about what I would say to my congregation, if I were still preaching every Sunday, in the aftermath of the shooting-rampage in a school that has shocked our entire nation.? Following local, national, or international tragedies of any kind, attendance at places of worship has historically increased as people seek understanding and guidance on how to cope.? They go to their respective places of worship expecting the clergy to speak with clarity, as if we are creatures endowed with special divine connections when, in fact, we are only human creatures who, perhaps, due to training and experience, have a certain amount of knowledge about such matters that we are able to pass along. Read more…