God, our hearts are broken

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Monday Ministerial Musings

By Rev. Mark William Ennis

2024 Blog #12

March 18, 2024

God, our hearts are broken.

Hearts are broken in the nearby town of Dumont and in our town of Bergenfield. A fifty-four-year-old woman, Elizabeth Feliciano-Rosa, was struck by a truck and killed at a busy intersection in the nearby town of Dumont, which boarders our town of Bergenfield. All of this happened on Thursday evening during rush hour. The driver did not stop after striking her.

The next day, a ninety-four-year-old man from our town of Bergenfield was arrested for the hit and run accident. I have read no details about the circumstances of the accident or why the woman was hit. All that I have heard is that a young woman is dead, and a man has been arrested in connection with hitting her.

Another thing I know is that hearts are broken all over our area. Elizabeth was a popular grammar schoolteacher for twenty years in the local town of Englewood. Her children, now adults, grew up in Dumont and went to school in that town.  Everyone who knew her children, or knew Elizabeth is heart broken by this tragic death.

And so, we all ask the question, “why did God allow this to happen” but we will get no answer.

 We ask the question, “why to those who do so much good get taken from us too soon?” but we will get no answer.

Tragedies happen and we get no answers to the question, “why.” It would be comforting if we would get rational explanations to such events. If only such horrible events would have “meaning” to them, perhaps it would sooth the grief that so many are feeling now.

In our fallen world we will experience tragedies and get no explanations. We will experience grief. How do we deal with grief when it comes and find comfort?  Some find solace in companionship. Others find it in exercise or physical exertion. People of faith pray and know that God walks with us during our sadness.

I don’t know Elizabeth, but I pray for her family and all those people that her life touched. I don’t know the man who the police say hit her, but I pray for him as well. Elizabeth died too soon but she blessed many lives. The world was a better place because she was part of it.

There are many people who bless us every day. We don’t know how long they will be with us. Let us celebrate each day that these people are with us and let us imitate those people and bless all those whose lives interact with ours.

#ReformedChurchInAmerica                                 #PastorMarkAuthor.com                

#BergenCounty                                                        #BergenfieldNJ

#Dumont                                                                    #Bergenfield

#Tragedy                                                                   # Elizabeth Feliciano-Rosa

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