Friday, September 11, 2009

Eight Years Later...A Prayer


























O God, I do not know where to turn in a time of terrorism.
I have no easy answers or solutions to acts of terror against the innocent.
When buildings explode without warning,
when the defenseless are murdered without reason,
I am tempted to retaliate with vengeance.
I am tempted to place the flag above the cross and put my faith in the state rather than the Sermon on the Mount.
I am afraid to face my deepest fears of suffering and death, both for myself and those I love.

O God, be merciful to me a sinner...
I lift my heart to a God of forgiveness, of compassion, of peace.
I believe that You are not present in any act of violence.
I believe that every human being is a child of God and that all nations
and religions are embraced by You.
I believe that violence ignites greater violence and that in the long line
of history our only lasting legacy is love...

I recommit myself to nonviolence as a witness of Your love.
I will embrace the suffering of others and wipe every tear from their eyes.
I will devote my days to works of mercy and justice, not to deeds of
death and destruction.
I will give my passion to kindness and beauty and imagination.
I commit to hope and the children of tomorrow. Amen.

by Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB (on a card by Pax Christi USA)


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