May 20, 2022 in anti-racism, Faith in action
Prayer: Remembering Those Affected by Gun Violence
Updated May 25, 2022 to include the mass murders at a school in Uvalde, Texas.
Published May 20, 2022 in response to mass shootings in Buffalo and Laguna Beach.
Today we remember
those who have died by gun violence,
those who have survived gun violence,
those who mourn deaths of family and friends by gun violence.
Aching with sorrow
we grieve this pain and death that surrounds and fills us.
Today we remember
mass killings in places of prayer and ordinary life,
in schools, churches and grocery stores — especially in Uvalde, Texas, Buffalo and Laguna Beach.
Rejecting the viciousness
we give ourselves to one another in love and care.
Today we remember deaths and fears of death
rampant in schools, homes, and workplaces.
Listening at last
we rise up to face the horror; we confess ourselves complicit.
Let us pray together.
Forgive, O God, our wrongful action and our inaction.
Forgive our silence and indifference.
Lead us in love, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
May God who is our hope
inscribe our hearts with justice and guide us in the ways of peace. Amen
Adapted from “Gun Violence Litany” by Rev. Joanne Engquist.
