Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13 NIV)
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (Prayer for Peace)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.*
On May 18 there was another shooting at a religious house by two teenagers. A security guard and two others were killed, but the children and other adults in the Islamic Center of San Diego were not injured. The two shooters had stolen a car and weapons, but ended up dead after self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Were the gunmen radicalized online? Were they white supremacists? Were they taking pharmaceuticals for gender transition? Although they left plenty of writings that will help investigators understand what happened, questions still float around the internet. One simple fact remains: these 17 and 18 year old boys intended to do great harm to a group of people.
So, we pray.
Sovereign God,
In a world that has such beauty, such wonderful people, and such love, we are stunned with the ugliness of intentional death and destruction. Even though these acts seem more frequent in our day, we know that since Cain and Abel hatred and violence have been a part of the human experience. Yet, we still know you call us to pray for those affected by these events.
So, first we remember Jesus’s words that, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” We thank you for the security guard and two others who helped to distract the shooters. Even though they lost their lives, we recognize their courage and protection of precious young lives. We pray for your supernatural peace and provision to be upon their families left behind.
Next we pray for the families and friends of the two shooters. Just as Judas betrayed Jesus, we expect they feel betrayed, shocked, and hurt by the choices of these two teenagers. We pray that you would be very present to these loved ones. Give them answers when you can, and help them seek you as they work through the mass of emotions in this situation.
We pray for this faith community that was attacked. We thank you for sparing the lives of the school children and staff who were present, and we pray that these reunited families would respond with deep gratitude for your protection and mercy. We pray that Christian churches surrounding this Islamic center would reach out in genuine love, and that the needs of both the mosque community and the wider community would be met through compassion, cooperation, and peace.
Help us to mourn with those who mourn and to reject hatred, bitterness, and vengeance. We pray you will provide wise counselors, compassionate leaders, faithful pastors, teachers, and neighbors who will walk patiently with those carrying trauma, fear, anger, and confusion. May this tragedy not harden hearts against one another, but instead awaken deeper compassion, courage, humility, and understanding within us all.
We pray that this event will help society better understand why people commit to these destructive choices. May we recognize the spiritual, emotional, and societal roots of these acts, repent of our lack of action, and seek you for holy wisdom and knowledge so we can prevent these attacks in the future. Help us to balance the needs of individuals and personal freedoms, with the needs of greater communities within limited resources.
Mostly, though, we pray that your Light and Life would be poured into the people so profoundly impacted by this event. Speak through your children, through dreams, and through whatever methods you choose to whisper hope, grace, love, and peace into them. We pray that this event will open doors to the Good News of Jesus Christ being proclaimed in that community, and that many would come to know the comfort, mercy, and salvation found in him alone.
Lord, where there is hatred, bring love.
Where there is despair, bring hope.
Where there is fear, bring peace.
And where hearts are broken, draw near as the God who heals, restores, and saves.
We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
*https://www.cathedralstm.org/about-our-catholic-faith/expressing-our-faith/treasury-catholic-prayers/prayer-st-francis-assisi-prayer-peace/