Are these pictures sending us a message?

AFP file photo

As the world watched horrified by media footage and images of Japan’s March 11 disaster, two interesting photos stood out amidst it all. Among the CNN broadcasts was a statue of the Goddess of Mercy rising from the mists of the Sendai area laid bare by the disaster.

One could put it down to coincidence, but later on this image of the Happy Buddha also emerged among the Associated Press photos documenting the calamity.

Perhaps it was coincidence? That the heavy stone statues were saved by their sheer weight?

But maybe there is another message here. That in the midst of disaster lies hope. Or that love and mercy are too heavy to be swept away by any catastrophe. Or that in the end, material things are not as important as mercy and happiness and in enduring faith in God and our fellow man.

AFP file photo

Perhaps these statues are a message for Japan that when all else is taken away, the virtues and core beliefs that have steadfastly remained in the Japanese people will help them rebuild again.

Most importantly, it could be a message for the rest of the world—that we can come back from any loss, and be saved in the end, as long as faith, love and compassion remain alive in each of us; and that in the long road of rebuilding, it is our trust in God that will give us hope and help us triumph.