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)