Boston Strong The following is an article written by Natalie Yuhas ’12 that appeared in the Boston College student newspaper, The Observer, on April 23. Reprinted with permission from Yuhas.
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rom the moment I stepped onto Boston College’s campus as a student, I was promised that Marathon Monday weekend would be the greatest weekend of my life. The Boston Marathon holds a special spot in the heart of the BC community because we are the 21st mile of the marathon. Runners pass by campus to begin their five-mile home stretch to the finish line after victoriously conquering Heartbreak Hill. This 21st mile is hope and the promise that “the heartbreak is over.” I was overwhelmed with just how much energy, support, enthusiasm, and encouragement was radiating from our community as together we cheered on and high fived these runners who have worked so hard to be able to cross that finish line. Within these encouraging words from spectators was the celebration that “the heartbreak is over.” A large Boston College inflatable arch even solidified this celebration of reaching the 21st mile with “The Heartbreak is Over” printed on the top in maroon and gold. An hour later, I was sitting in a dorm room with my closest friends, eyes glued onto the TV when I looked over to see my best friend was wearing the fluorescent pink Marathon tank top saying, “The Heartbreak is Over.” I was suddenly struck with the harsh reality that the heartbreak is far from over as the image of the bombs exploding on Boylston flashed and the audio of joyous screams of triumph turning to screams of terror played over and over again on the TV screen. The heartbreak is so very real for the victims, the spectators, the runners, this city, our school, and our nation. Never in a million years would I have imagined I would be so close to such a tragedy. Just on Saturday I had watched the finish line be assembled and got the chills just thinking how perfect and beautiful this city is. Two days later I was watching the runners and soldiers who had passed Mile 21 get blown off their feet in the very same spot. An area that we love so much has now been stained by the blood of such innocent people in such a tragic event. Where was God in all of this? Why would He ever let something so horrific happen to our beloved Boston? I struggled with this question as I watched
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Copley go up in smoke over and over again. How could God be there? How can the person or people behind this tragedy get away with this? The Boston Marathon bombing has been the hardest thought I have ever had to process and has resulted in a lot of time reflecting. Through all this time reflecting, the one thought that remains on my mind is that God was very Natalie Yuhas ’12 present on Monday. The verse I keep coming back to says, “But in fact God has placed the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” (1 Corinthians 12:18). There was no huge miracle on Monday that stopped the bombs from going off, but that doesn’t mean that God was absent. God was everywhere on Monday, broken into different, perfectly placed parts that symphonized together to create the Body of Christ here on Earth. There were the people who kept running past the finish line to the hospitals so that they could donate their blood. There were the police and spectators whose first instinct was to run toward the explosions and help instead of away from it. There were the tons of people who opened the doors of their homes and restaurants to those stranded and hurting. There was a packed St. Ignatius Church for a Mass of healing on our very own campus and The Final 5 walk to commemorate this tragedy organized within hours after the bombing. The entire nation has rallied behind Boston with their support and prayers. A body cannot function properly or efficiently without these different parts working together, just as God’s presence and work at the Marathon could not be effectively executed without these good people and touching moments working together. Even though there was immense heartbreak this Monday and will forever be immense heartbreak associated with the Boston Marathon, I am absolutely astounded by the amount of love I encountered here on our campus and around the nation. The heartbreak is far from over, but we are the Body of Christ and we are Boston Strong. We are BC.