Daily vigil for those killed and wounded in Orlando

Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, facing arrest and death, commanded Peter to sheath his sword.  He said, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.”  Then, he exemplified a nonviolent response to his enemies by praying for their forgiveness as he hung in agony on the cross.  We are called to follow the way of the cross, never giving way to rage, anger, or bias, practicing radical hospitality even to our enemies.

 In our ignoble history of mass shootings, the forty-nine deaths in Orlando make this numerically the worst.  Fifty people were wounded and four remain in critical condition.

Jesus extended loving hospitality to all, including the social outcasts of his day. His nonviolent way of responding to his tormentors and executioners during his trial and death are in sharp contrast to the rage and violence of the Orlando perpetrator, and also, the hostility on the part of some in our society that is being directed toward all people of the Islamic faith. 

As we strive for justice and peace among all peoples, as our baptismal promises call on us to do, let us, also, avoid rage toward the perpetrator, praying for him as we pray for those killed and traumatized by his actions.

Please join us each day this week in a moment of silence and in the offering of this prayer for Orlando at 12:30 PM.

  

Merciful and Gracious God, you have made us members of one body, connected like muscle and bone.  If one suffers, we all suffer. We pray this day in common grief for the tragedy in Orlando, and for the seemingly relentless reality of gun violence and hatred of gay, lesbian, and transgendered people.  We seek to transform the world by doing what Jesus taught us: welcoming the stranger, loving our enemy, and working for peace and justice.  This day we pause in our indignation, confusion, and grief.  Through sacrament, song, and friendship, may your Spirit bind our broken hearts, and send us out with renewed dreams of your new creation where we will not hurt nor destroy in all your holy mountain.  This we ask in the name of the Holy Trinity, one God.  Amen.