那天正逢棕枝主日，是慶祝耶穌光榮進入耶路撒冷的日子，但卻成了瑪麗痛徹心扉的回憶。禮拜結束後，她與丈夫卡禮手牽手離開教堂，一枚炸彈突然爆炸。這場襲擊奪走了丈夫的性命，也讓懷孕的瑪麗受了傷，失去腹中的孩子。

在療傷期間，瑪麗為逝去的丈夫和孩子而哀傷，同時也滿腔悲憤。然而，閱讀聖經卻奇妙地平息了她心中的怒火。特別是當她無法理解上帝為何容許這場災難發生時，以賽亞書55章9節觸動了她的心：「天怎樣高過地，照樣，我的道路高過你們的道路。」瑪麗開始明白，即使人悖逆上帝，祂仍然施恩予人。認識這莫大的恩典，使她感受到聖靈的安慰。

瑪麗所思考的這句話，是上帝藉先知以賽亞對悖逆的以色列民所說的。上帝呼召迷失的子民回轉歸向祂，同時也讓他們更認識祂的憐憫與慈愛。正如天「高過」地，上帝的道路也「高過」他們的道路（9節）；同樣地，上帝所賜下的愛和恩典，也會遠遠超過我們所求所想的。

在深切的哀傷中，瑪麗意想不到地經歷了上帝所賜的平安，因她領受了耶穌撫慰人心的愛。我們在聖週期間所紀念的耶穌受難事件中，處處都能看到祂所流露的這份愛。耶穌也渴望將祂的平安賜給你和我，我們只需要來向祂求助。

Although it was Palm Sunday, a day to celebrate the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, for Mary Edwar it became a time of deep pain. Leaving their church after the service, she and her husband, Kareem, were holding hands when a bomb went off. The device killed Kareem and injured Mary, causing her to miscarry.

While Mary recuperated, she felt furious while grieving for her husband and child. But somehow reading the Bible calmed “the volcano inside her.” In particular, when she struggled to comprehend why God allowed the atrocity, Isaiah 55:9 helped: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.” As she understood that God extends grace even when He’s dishonored, she felt soothed by His Spirit.

Mary considered Isaiah’s message from God to His wayward people. While calling them back to Himself, God sought to expand their understanding of His merciful character. Even as the heavens are “higher than” the earth, so were God’s ways “higher than” theirs (v. 9). So too will God show love and grace, more than they could imagine.

While grieving deeply, Mary was stunned to receive God’s gift of peace. She welcomed Jesus’ consoling love, which He poured out in the events that we mark during Holy Week. He’s eager to give us His peace too; we need only to look to Him.