It has been less than a week since the tragic and terrible terror attacks in Oslo and Utøya. The exact numbers of young people assassinated is still not known. We don’t know all the names yet. But the streets are full of flowers and people all over the country and all over the world are mourning.

In Norway we can sense what I would describe as national mourning. It is not arranged or decided for. There has been no official proclamation saying these are national mourning days. It just is.

I met with an elderly couple today. The woman described how this just hit her heart so hard and how her own experiences from her childhood came to life. She was three years old when a major explosion went off on a ship in the harbor in Bergen. It was in 1944 during the war. Her husband added; “I remember us going downtown with mummy. We walked on glass in the streets. All the windows in the center of Bergen were smashed. “Our house was destroyed” the woman told me. The memories from the war come alive again.

Completely not understandable disasters, tragedies and deaths of innocent people and children lead to deep, honest and sincere grief where our words feel hollow and empty.

Throughout the history there has been many similar situations. After Jesus was born king Herod feared for his kingdom and he killed all small children under the age of two. What a tragedy! I believe the reactions were similar to what we experience today;
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”

We might react and show our grief in different ways but these are National Mourning Days.