On this day in 1989 a young man walked into the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal and opened fire on women he did know, but hated simply because of their gender. By the time the carnage was over 45 minutes later 14 of those women were dead and so was he. It was senseless murder that no one could explain. http://archives.cbc.ca/society/crime_justice/topics/398/
This is a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. It is an opportunity for all of us to recognize that violence against women is still commonplace and that the need of education in our society is far from over. Recently I talked with a dozen St. Paul's women about the work that my wife, Ruth, does as an outreach worker for the local shelter called Bethesda House. Three of the twelve shared their own stories of leaving situations of domestic abuse and two of them did so in the days before there were shelters. Day in and day out Ruth works with women who are trying to figure our how to find their way to safety, often after years of psychological and physical abuse. Some days she arrives home exhausted from the repeated stories of heartache and fear.
The gospels give us some remarkable stories of Jesus' compassion toward women on the margins of his culture. As I have mentioned before, the story of the Samaritan woman at the well is the longest recorded encounter between Jesus and anyone in the gospels.
It's important to be aware that abused women are around us, as are their children. Tomorrow our White Gifts will go to Bethesda House and the Salvation Army and I hope people will be generous.
In 1989, I was sixteen years old. I don't remember hearing about these fourteen women until I moved to Ontario, more than twelve years later. December 6th is a day I always recognize. Although I struggle to remember the details at times, I think this is an important date to remember and to acknowledge that that there is still much violence against women.
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