Dear Family of Love,
We enter this night broken, in sorrow, fear, anguish, and yes still bitter anger. These are common emotions that go along with the events we have been experiencing the past day and a half. We have come to grief and sorrow by violent and unspeakable acts of terror once again and this isn't the normal kind of grief that we usually experience. No this kind of grief is foisted upon us by people who have hate, anger, and a plan to cause great division on their minds, hearts,and not so hidden agendas. So on day two of this period of grief what are we to do? I'm going to be honest and say that I really don't know. I do know that prayer, oneness, not being afraid, and if we need to, seek help is vital for us to do. I'm issuing a call to action that we start coalescing into a cohesive group and fight this scourge of gun violence, hate, and division. We need to begin a dialogue with listening to one another and finding common ground. Our listening ears need to have loving and listening hearts working in tandem. The words we say must be thought out and not said with sarcasm. This is a time when words and deeds count. So let us be together in another day of prayer and as a family.
God we come to you in the silence with heavy hearts to light our candles in memory of those who lost their lives in Orlando and to pray for the courage to act to stop the scourge of gun violence and terror in our nation and the world..Give us courage to speak truth to power with action words and I messages. Help us to think before we speak and to use words and actions to bring peace and heal.
Help us O God to learn to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. Help us to begin a listening dialogue to unite and not divide but to find common ground. Give us God this time of togetherness to see you in each other. This night we pray for our LGBTQIA, Muslim, Hispanic Family members and all who are in danger at the margins of society. We pray for protection of all people and that we ourselves must be vigilant and keep watch and report if necessary. Help us O God not to be fearful but to be fearless with your help and light. We pray for all of our family member who are alone and do not know how to reach out for help. We pray with heavy hearts in need of healing and solace and soulace. We pray and encircle and wrap each other in a prayer quilt of Compassion, Love, Acceptance, and Mercy. Amen.
We remember the words of St. Francis:
The Peace Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
We pray for the victims by Name:
Amanda Alvear, 25 years old
Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old
Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old
Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
Cory James Connell, 21 years old
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old
Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old
Kimberly Morris, 37 years old
Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old
Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old
Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old
Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old
This is a week where we all need to pay it forward as part of healing and showing the world that we carry God's light in to the dark places. But first before we do this I would like us to take part of the days to come to be in prayer. Our hearts need to be healed by prayer and time away in the presence of God. Taking this time will give us the strength to go forward to do what God is calling and challenging us to do today and everyday. Part of self-care involves prayer, refreshment, and renewal. Let us begin with our breathing exercises with an old favorite at Walk With Me On Our Journey:
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know
Be still
Be
Imagine you are breathing in either sage, rosemary, or lavender to calm our tender hearts and spirits.
Don't forget to do some relaxation exercises to get your bodies in prayer mode.
God we pray this day for all of us who are in grief over the loss of life in the terrorist attacks in Orlando and elsewhere. We pray for all our family members throughout the world who are constantly being victims of terror and violence. We pray for an end to violence and terror.
God we pray this day that we my use our tender hearts as the driving force to affect change in the world.
God we pray that the loving hearts you instilled in our souls at our birth may continually be used to find purpose and be reawakened into the Love Energy you give us each day.
God we pray for all our enemies that they may come to know that violence, terror, extremism and hatred are not the answer but love, listening and compassion are.
God we pray for an end to religious extremism of any kind and that a spirit of love and understanding may grow flourish with in each of all faith communities.
God we pray for all refugees,captives, victims of human trafficking. We pray this day that we may never forget about all of our family members who are being held by terrorist organizations.
God we pray for all families who are beginning to grieve the loss of loved ones and we remember all of our family members who are pre-grieving as they sit vigil at the bedside of the dying.
God we pray for and end to environmental terrorism and that we may become good conservationists of your Cathedral of Life.
God we pray that we may use the gifts you have given us in Social Media to foster love and respect and that what we post or tweet may be loving and with lips that are mindful of all of our family members.
God as we take time to sit and be with you in your loving and abiding presence may we seek to come to know you in the many ways you show us each and every day. We pray that we may come to know you as Jesus as the risen Christ who was made known to the pilgrims on the road to Emmaus. We pray that we may find you in our kinship the bread made broken and the prayers offered and in the works of love you are calling us to do. May we come to know you more deeply and find out that you are more than what's in scripture and more than our minds can fathom.
God may we offer our own prayers and thanksgivings and lift them up unto you this day in the name of your Son Jesus who heals, reconciles, and brings and makes us truly family. Amen.
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Have a blessed night Dear Ones. I love you! I give thanks to God for you this day and always. Remember we are all family and that God has made us in God's image and likeness and that we all matter and are precious. Let us love and take care of ourselves so that we may love and take care of others who are also our family members.
Love, prayers, and blessings your sister on our life's pilgrimage together,
Sara
Musical Selections:
Andrew Lloyd Webber- Requiem
Rutter -Requiem
Bobby McFerrin- Psalm 23
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