Prayers for all
After the momentary disbelief and shock, prayers started for the latest victims of terrorism in Paris. These words of Warsan Shire aptly captured the global reaction that painful Friday, November 13, 2015: " later that night, I held an atlas in my lap, ran my fingers across the whole world and whispered, where does it hurt? It answered, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere."
The initial prayers were for those in Paris, for eternal rest and peace for the victims, for comfort for their loved ones, and for peace to be restored. Quoting one such prayer from an FB post, " Dear God, I bow my head and ask, if it is Your will, please save this land from those who seek to destroy it, amen."
Then, calls for prayers for other victims all throughout the world poured in. Victims of terrorism and other forms of injustices are all over the world. In the Philippines, calls for prayers for the Lumads of Surigao, Philippines, whose ancestral lands filled with rich mineral resources are now caught in the midst of greed and abuse. " Pray for Paris, pray for Lumads too- more than 357 Lumads have been killed," one FB post reminded all. From the CBCP:, this prayer for our earth: Prayer for Our Earth: "All powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one. O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes, Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace. Amen."
This added prayer for world peace: " O Lord God, we pray for peace and love in all the nations, among all the people, that all wars will end. We pray for those who suffer war, injustice & intolerance, for the children, young people, the poor and the neglected ones. We pray for peace in our life, lands, nations, families & in our hearts. Lord, give us world peace. We ask your mercy in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen."
Songs have also been shared, like Bob Dylan's 1962 Blowing in the Wind repeating this question asked decades back- "how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died?". Sadly, this question remains unanswered.
John Lennon's 1971 song, Imagine, has also gone viral, again reminding us to "Imagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace."
Peace remains elusive but is it impossible? Two prayer songs to reflect upon: " If there's one more gift I ask of You , Lord, it would be peace here on earth." And this other prayer song to remind us all that we are all in this quest together-"Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me... Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now. With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow, to take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally, let there be peace on earth and LET IT BEGIN WITH ME."
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