“Archangel Michael Tramples Satan” by Guido Reni (c. 1630), Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome, Author Andrew Graham Dixon for Yorck Project (PD-Art l Old-100)
“In the absence of light, darkness prevails.”
-Motto of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, “Hellboy” (Dark Horse Comics)
Heart wrenching tales of abuse could easily fill these pages. Generally, I try to stay away from stories of that kind. Too often, they leave us feeling helpless and hopeless.
When I do write about lost lives, the words are my poor attempt to honor those lives and bear witness to the loss.
It may be some small consolation that such children have gone home to God. Their pain is over. That should not, however, diminish our outrage.
There are, of course, countless unreported cases of abuse. Names we will never know, though God is familiar with them all.
While those victims are gone, their struggle ended, our obligation is to fight on. It is a way of fighting darkness and death, fighting evil. We may not have been in a position to save the lives of those children. But we can try to save our own.
Our struggle with darkness is not insignificant. We may feel isolated, may feel that our scars are overwhelming. And, in truth, those scars may last a lifetime. Which makes our struggle all the more heroic.
If the lost children could speak, they would applaud our efforts. They would wish us Godspeed. They were not able to live in this sad world any longer. But we may yet triumph for their sake.
In fighting the scars, the darkness, we are on the side of the angels.
“Praise the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word. Praise the Lord, all His heavenly hosts, you His servants who do His will…Praise the Lord, my soul” (Ps. 103: 20-22 NIV).
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ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse 
Hi Anna, thank you for bringing touchy subjects to the forefront. I came across this music video that has a poignant message that hits on ‘the storm inside us’ by Veronica Ballestrini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQkSkBgX5cc the video gives reference to teen suicide, but it can easily crossover to child abuse of all kinds. May our Lord inspire us all to take the matter seriously and do all we can in whatever capacity, including prayers. God bless.
Thank you for sharing this. ❤
🙂
I like your reference to the Christian response to child abuse being a battle against darkness. Our society tends to coat things in euphemisms. A little off topic here, but I appreciated your quote from Hellboy. In the small world category, Doug Jones, my younger brother, played Abe Sapien in that movie. Take care.
Wow! Abe Sapien? No kidding! I remember the character well! I enjoyed the Hellboy series. The only comic books I got to read as a kid were those my cousins had. I’ve always enjoyed the artwork.
Doug has done a lot of work with director Guillermo del Toro, who also directed Pan’s Labyrinth.
p.s. He has also been in a short, called The Candy Shop, which deals with the topic of the sexual exploitation of children. He also played the title character in Pan’s Labyrinth. This film also dealt a little with the mistreatment of a child.
I find it difficult to watch films about the sexual exploitation or mistreatment of children. They are important, however, in raising awareness. There is a bill pending in Congress right now called the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act of 2017 (S 1693 and HR 1865). It removes the civil and criminal immunity afforded websites engaged in human trafficking under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996.
Like you, I don’t watch this sort of thing for entertainment. It bothers me too much.
I like how the quote says that darkness prevails in the absence of light. It is analogous to the one that says that evil triumphs when good people keep quiet and do nothing. We must not wait until we, or our loved ones are struck before we join the battle against abuse and darkness. We must not mind our own business. We must all align with the side of the angels. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your compassionate response, Gbolabo. I wholeheartedly agree. That the subject can be difficult must not stop those who desire to help. Education and awareness are vital.
You are welcome Anna. Have a wonderful day!