Published on 04/20/2007

In a week devoted to the Virginia Tech tragedy and the grace of God, it seems fitting to close with the story of a man who will long be remembered for his sacrificial heroism. By now you've seen the news accounts of Dr. Liviu Librescu, the Holocaust survivor who died Monday protecting his students from Cho Seung-Hui's shooting rampage. His is a story of commitment to others which we should each hope to emulate today.

Commentary

Dr. Librescu was a Romanian Jew who survived the Holocaust, then emigrated from Romania to Israel. He later came to America to teach engineering, and served as Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Tech for 20 years.

Reading over his online resume at the Virginia Tech website, I was extremely impressed with Dr. Librescu's professional academic accomplishments. He held membership in six professional societies and was included in Who's Who in Science and Engineering and Who's Who in the World. He served as a reviewer for more than 40 professional journals and publications, and was author of numerous books and more than 250 scholarly articles in his field of aeronautical engineering.

But the action for which he was honored by President Bush on Wednesday was not the result of academic brilliance, but remarkable personal character and courage. Mr. Bush was speaking on the Holocaust Day of Remembrance at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He noted: "With the gunman set to enter his class, this brave professor blocked the door with his body while his students fled to safety. On the Day of Remembrance, this Holocaust survivor gave his own life so that others might live. And this morning we honor his memory, and we take strength from his example."

The students he saved began emailing his wife shortly after escaping with their lives. They will always remember the gifted professor who died so that they could live. If someone died in your place, how could you ever forget such sacrifice?

Of course, the spiritual application of this tragic and touching story is obvious. You and I are in fact the recipients of precisely such sacrificial grace: "at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6-8). Because he died, we never will. No murderer can take your life. If Christ is your Lord, eternity is his gift to you. Have you thanked him yet today?