Obama mourns Colorado shooting tragedy in weekly address

This weekend I hope everyone takes some time for prayer and reflection'for the victims of this terrible tragedy, for the people who knew them and loved them, for those who are still struggling to recover, and for all the victims of the less publicized acts of violence that plague our communities on a daily basis. Let us keep all these Americans in our prayers. And to the people of Aurora, may the Lord bring you comfort and healing in the hard days to come.

In what surely was a last-minute effort at the White House, President Obama focused this morning on the national unity, healing and mourning in his weekly address in the wake of the tragic shooting in Colorado. His statement, well worth reading in full beneath the fold, is a beautiful, succinct meditation on grappling with senseless evil and inexplicable suffering, an address that brings to mind President Bill Clinton's unifying speech after the Oklahoma City bombing.

Even as we come to learn how this happened and who's responsible, we may never understand what leads anyone to terrorize their fellow human beings. Such evil is senseless'beyond reason. But while we will never know fully what causes someone to take the life of another, we do know what makes that life worth living.

The people we lost in Aurora loved, and were loved. They were mothers and fathers; husbands and wives; sisters and brothers; sons and daughters; friends and neighbors.  They had hopes for the future and dreams that were not yet fulfilled. And if there's anything to take away from this tragedy, it's a reminder that life is fragile. Our time here is limited and it is precious. And what matters in the end are not the small and trivial things which often consume our lives. It's how we choose to treat one another, and love one another. It's what we do on a daily basis to give our lives meaning and to give our lives purpose. That's what matters. That's why we're here.

President Obama's oratorical skills come to their best, full use in such serious moments, and the full, somber transcript'please, read it in full this week'can be found beneath the fold and on the White House website.