After a national tragedy, one of the first things that comes to mind for many Americans is to express thoughts and prayers and offer other support where necessary.
That was certainly the case in the aftermath of the mass shooting that took place last Wednesday at the Annunciation K-8 Catholic School in Minneapolis.
Tragically, two children were killed, 15 more kids were injured — some seriously — and three elderly parishioners were also hurt.
Reportedly, the children were praying when the shooter, 23-year-old Robert “Robin” Westman, began shooting outside the school’s windows, something the left tried to use against conservative Christians who were offering up their thoughts and prayers.
Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, for instance, said during a press conference, “And don’t just say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers,’ right now. These kids were literally praying! It was the first week of school, they were in a church.”
On X, former Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki wrote, “Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does not end school shootings. Prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.”
“These children were literally praying as they got shot at,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another Democrat, tweeted in response to criticism from Trump White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Democrats slamming and mocking thoughts and prayers.
How Democrats can think that the line of attack that goes something like “let’s mock and pile on Christians and the importance of prayer in their daily lives on the same day a K-8 Catholic school was hit by a mass shooter” is a mystery to me.
But then again, the modern Democratic Party rarely makes sense to people who live in the real world anymore, so go figure.
Most of the Democrats who I noticed making this line of argument have previously stated they are Christians, which is interesting because faithful Christians who pray regularly and understand the power of prayer don’t say things like they did last week.
I’m not going to call anyone’s faith into question, but I will say that the math doesn’t add up here, if you catch my meaning.
As I’ve said before, it angers me when Democrats sneer at “thoughts and prayers,” in part because, like many people, I’ve experienced something pretty close to hopelessness before in my life more than once, and prayer and knowing that others were praying for me were the primary things that got me through those rough patches.
The power of faith and prayer was absolutely what carried my mom and me through everything we went through in 2022 and 2023, between losing my dad, her being diagnosed with stage IIIB colon cancer and then her having to go through chemotherapy.
Those were two of the most challenging years of our lives, and prayers and our faith in God were then, and continue to be, our guiding force through all of life’s ups and downs.
Relatedly, it’s disingenuous to argue that thoughts and prayers are not a solution to gun violence, because, of course, Christians know that prayer doesn’t stop bad things from happening sometimes. Further, that’s not why they’re being offered up in the first place. They’re expressed as a way for those experiencing unimaginable heartbreak and grief to hopefully find a peace that surpasses all understanding as they navigate through the difficult days ahead.
Mom often says that praying is the best thing a person can do for someone else who is going through tough times. It’s something to remember when you feel hopeless about a situation you or someone you love is going through.
My thoughts and prayers remain with the victims of the Annunciation Catholic School tragedy and their families.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
