Juarez Violence Affects El Pasoans’ Faith

by ABC-7 Reporter Rachel Abell

EL PASO, Texas — Many of us have friends and family living across the border, so how is the terrible violence there affecting our faith here in El Paso?

“What’s happening across the border…really, it’s tragic,” said Deacon Jim Szostek, of St. Pius Catholic Church. “We hear these beheadings and killings and it’s just hard to take because it’s not only life, it’s human life.”

And young human life.

Recently four children have been killed in Juarez, including a two-year-old girl.

“When you deal with, let’s say a child’s death, that’s extremely difficult because the question comes to mind, why?”

Deacon Szostek said a number of people in his congregation have relatives who have been kidnapped and held for ransom in our sister city.

“That’s where the element of prayer comes into our lives,” he said. “We pray to God to ask why is this happening and perhaps get a resolution to the problem.”

Szostek said in each case there was an opportunity for the affected people to give up and lose their faith, but what really impressed him was how they instead turned to God.

He said he watched as people allowed faith to carry them through the difficult times, himself included.

“Many times things happen that you could say shatters my faith to a degree, but I can honestly tell you, over these past 30 years, God has always come through. He has always prevailed.”

After all, in the face of this violence, believing in something that you have no proof of may just be the most difficult thing of all.

And that’s the very definition of faith.

“To me that’s an awesome experience. And God will prevail in this situation also,” said Szostek.