A Patriots’ Day tragedy in Boston

    Patriots’ Day has always been very special in Boston. On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere made his legendary horseback ride from Boston’s North end to Concord, a trek of about 25 miles, to announce that the British Army was landing and headed to uncover the ammunition stored in the town of Concord.
    Colonial citizens reached for their muskets and prepared to defend their liberty against the superbly trained and expertly equipped British soldiers. A preliminary skirmish took place on Lexington Common, where “the shot was fired that was heard around the world.” The Colonials held fast at the Concord Bridge, and the approaching British Army turned back. As they made their way in retreat back to Boston, colonial farmers shot at them from behind stone walls and turned the retreat into a rout. Bostonians have celebrated this day ever since as Patriots’ Day.
    The Boston Marathon was devised as a way of marking that memorable horseback ride with an annual competition covering roughly the same number of miles as Paul Revere’s ride. The marathon begins each year in the town of Hopkington and makes its way to Copley Square in Boston. The Boston Red Sox play the only game of the season that begins at 11 a.m., timed to end just before the first runners appear at the finish line just outside of Fenway Park.
    Some of my earliest memories are of my Dad bringing my brother and me to the 20-mile mark just after Heartbreak Hill, where it usually became clear who was going to be the winner. We had already followed the Fenway Park game on radio (television had not yet been invented) and we would wait there until the legendary Clarence Demar passed our viewing point. He was considered to be the grandfather of the Boston Marathon, having won it a number of years and continuing to run into his late 70s.
    How sad it is that this kind of historic observance and celebration should be marred by senseless tragedy! The planting of anti-personnel devices in places crowded by civilians is a heinous crime. Whatever the motivation, the devastation in human terms is incalculable. The impact goes far beyond the toll of fatalities and injuries to touch the human psyche and spirit. Who could want to kill 8-year-old Martin Richard and seriously injure his mother and sister as they gathered to congratulate his Dad as he crossed the finish line? Such senseless tragedy tears at the strings of the human heart and raises deep questions of the spirit.
    Such tragedy calls for the deeper resources of faith. The Lord Jesus has already won a definitive victory over the most heinous crime this world has ever known: mankind’s killing of its own God. It was reassuring to witness the way in which so many law enforcement, medical personnel and volunteers responded to the wounded even as the risks of further explosions persisted.
    God grant healing and strength to the families of those who lost loved ones, to those injured and to those traumatized by these horrific acts. May God grant us the grace to find better ways to help people choose virtue over vice and thereby render the world more peaceful and secure.
    Former Archbishop Alfred Hughes was born in West Roxbury, Mass., and served as  archbishop of New Orleans from 2002-09.