Lessons learned at Columbine High.

Eric Harris pointed his gun at Cassie’s face. “Do you believe in God?” he asked. She paused, knowing what a positive answer could mean. “Yes, I do,” she said. He pulled the trigger. She was sent to meet God face-to-face. Harris turned to Val Schnurr and pointed his weapon at her. Do you believe in God?” Val had just witnessed the violent result of a “yes” answer. But she responded truthfully. “Yes.” He shot her, too. But she miraculously survived.

Teenagers have come quite a long way since the 1960s. Back then, the general impression was that teenagers would rather burn down a classroom that study in it, and rather smoke pot and listen to loud rock and roll than pray or do anything positive. Unfortunately, that outdated stereotype has been burned into far too many people’s brains. Personally, I’ve known for quite a while that today’s teenagers are largely a mature, responsible and caring lot. But even I was unprepared for the caliber of youth I’ve met and worked with here in Littleton, Colorado.

First of all, some statistics. Out of 12 students randomly killed at Columbine High School on April 20, four were seriously active Catholics and four more were committed Evangelical Christians. Eight out of 12 — two-thirds of the student victims — were serious, involved Christians. These numbers were, apparently, fairly representative of the general population. The students of Columbine High School are, overall, a very religious group.

But those numbers don’t come anywhere near telling the whole story. Amazing things took place in the school building that day. The Columbine students displayed a level of heroism most adults can only stand back and admire. At least one victim was shot while attempting to save another student. A brother crouched over his sister and a friend so he would be shot instead of them. Countless students stayed back to hold doors, direct traffic and guide students to safety instead of rushing out themselves.

And, after the violence had ended, the faith of the teens became evident to the entire community. News photos showed them clutching rosaries, huddled together in prayer, placing religious articles at the scene and at the memorials. When an adult woman was discovered at the memorial site, writing expletives on the cross erected for Eric Harris, teens gathered nearby asked her to stop. She refused. Then, instead of stooping to her level through shouting or name-calling, these teens gathered in a circle around her and began to sing "Amazing Grace."

But most inspiring of all is the story of Cassie Bernall and Val Schnurr. They were both studying in the Columbine library on that fateful day when Dylan and Eric entered with their guns blazing. Both ducked for cover under tables. Eric Harris poked his head under Cassie’s table, stuck a gun in her face and asked "Do you believe in God?" She paused, knowing what a positive answer could mean. "Yes, I do," she said. He pulled the trigger. She was sent to meet God face-to-face. Harris turned to Val Schnurr and pointed his weapon at her. "Do you believe in God?" Val had just witnessed the violent result of a "yes" answer. But she responded truthfully. "Yes." He shot her, too. But she miraculously survived.

I don’t know about you, but these stories have made me take a long, hard look at my own faith. For most of us, the idea of dying for Christ is one of those rhetorical "that only happens in totalitarian dictatorships far away" scenarios. For Cassie and Val, it was very real. Would you have that kind of courage? Would I? I hope and pray that I would, but honestly, I’m not entirely sure.

The tragedy at Columbine was, and remains, an unspeakable horror. All we can do now is to pray that some good comes out of it. If the nation is able to attain even a glimmer of the courage and faith of these young students, we’ll be off to a good start.

Mary Beth Bonacci can be reached at Real Love, Inc., 1520 West Warner Road, Suite 106-138, Gilbert, AZ 85233, 602-812-1194.

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