Elie and Dietrich A message and reminder to the World and all of us.

Dear Family of Love and Pilgrims on life's journey.

The heart continues to break as it does for all of us in many ways from Orlando, Istanbul, Bangladesh, and the passing of Elie Wiesel on the anniversary of the hanging of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a Nazi concentration camp. Seeing and hearing about all the violence and terror that has been happening not just  at the present time but down the ages and not so long ago. Elie Wiesel and Dietrich Bonhoeffer are telling us from the Thin Places. that we mustn't be being indifferent to cruelty and injustice, that silence is never an option because it places us squarely in the place of the oppressor. If we think that this kind of thing can't or won't happen again maybe we should think again. We need to keep our eyes pealed and ears open to what is happening in our own community, nation, and the world. We must stand up, speak up, and not be afraid to affect change. Indifference  and fear brings about apathy, evil, and people like Donald Trump and Adolph Hitler.  When we see all the terror that is affecting many people around the world we mustn't think it can't happen to us but,it already is. It already is! Terror is striking fear in all of us at strange levels from mistrust, hatred, xenophobia, and a lack of being able to find common ground and learn from each other. Before we pray and hold vigil for the victims of terror and in remembrance of Elie Wiesel and Dietrich Bonhoeffer  let us see a few of their quotes and memes.

God we come to you this night to hold vigil and pray for the the many lives lost due to the recent acts of terror from Orlando, Istanbul, and Bangladesh and to remember the lives of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was hanged on this date in a Nazi concentration camp, and Elie Wiesel who survived the Holocaust. We pray and light our candles for an end to all the darkness in the world that there may be peace, justice and freedom from indifference. We pray that we may stand together and remember and take the necessary action to affect change in the world. We give thanks for all those who have witnessed terror so  that we may learn to say "Never Again". We pray that we may set our feet on the path to be a peacemaker and  as in the words of the prophet Micah to 'Do Justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." Let us sew seeds of compassion, acceptance, love, and mercy. We add this special prayer in Elie Wiesel's memory:

                                                        The Mourner's Kaddish In English

Glorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout the world
which He has created according to His will.

May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days,
and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon;
and say, Amen.

May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.

Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored,
adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,
beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that
are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen.

May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us
and for all Israel; and say, Amen.

He who creates peace in His celestial heights,
may He create peace for us and for all Israel;
and say, Amen

We light our candles and take time for silent reflection. We pray in the name of God who is called by many names and lift up our prayers in to God's merciful and loving arms. Amen. 

Holy God, G_D, Allah, Creator of the world and God of Many names  who made us in you image and likeness we pray this night and light our candles in memory and witness to all who have died in any genocide our world has ever known. We light our candles and remember the Women's holocaust in the Middle Ages, The Native Americans who walked the Trail of Tears and were killed by viruses brought to the New World, We pray for the Armenians who perished and The Great Holocaust that took the lives of 6,000,000 million Jews and others. We pray for the victims of modern day genocides in this era of terrorism and ethnic cleansing. We pray that we may look upon these our brothers and sisters who perished as a reminder of how easy it is to go down the slippery slope of hate, terror, fear, vengeance, and bigotry. We pray for peace in this fragile and broken world that we may be peace makers and truth tellers to our family members who do not know the history of these atrocities. We pray this night that we may stop the hate and new apartheid systems that infect the world. We pray that we may be compassionate, accepting, loving, and merciful. Let us always remember and never forget:

Let us pray the words of the Morning Prayer by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

MORNING PRAYER

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.

Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.

and ponder this:

"I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.” 

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

Jesus (God, G_d)help us to remember who our neighbor is by praying for our family members below.
Those who died in any genocide. 
Women
Men
Children
Enemies
Refugees, immigrants of any kind
Caregivers
Those who don't share your political or religious beliefs
LGBTQ family members 
Elderly
Family members with whom we are estranged
Everyone
The sick and the suffering
The mentally ill and memory challenged
Those living with H.I. V./ A.I.D.S
Everyone
Those who have caused you harm or abused you
Those who hate you or you hate ( Not acceptable)
Those who have forgiven you and those whom you have forgiven
Everyone
Those who do not share the same ethnicity or race as you
Political prisoners
Prisoners of war
Those who cause terror, violence, bullying, and do unspeakable things. 
Everyone
Jews
Christians
Muslims
Buddhists
Hindus
All faith communities 
Everyone
Indigenous peoples
Victims of Human Trafficking
Everyone
Cancer patients, 
Chronically ill
The disabled 
The poor
The homeless
The hungry
 The lonely,
The lost,
The unemployed
The farm worker
Everyone
The misunderstood
The learning disabled
The marginalized
The invisible ones
The least of these
Everyone
The family of nations and all the peoples God's world

Jesus  (God, G_d) we pray for all of our family members nearby,stranger, and enemy and in particular those mentioned about that we may love one another as you have loved us . May we strive to be better at loving, accepting, and including everyone. We know that in  Your world all means all and not some. May we continue to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you to the end of our days and beyond. Amen.

We pray for peace within ourselves, our nation, the troubled places of the world especially in  Bangladesh, Turkey, Nigeria, the Middle East (Israel, The Palestinian Authority-Gaza, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan), African countries (Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Darfur, South Sudan, The Sudan), Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, The United States,  Afghanistan, Pakistan, The Ukraine, Central America, South America, and all other places in the world where there is violence, inequality, injustice, tribal discord, and sectarian violence.

God we come to you this night still with heavy hearts and we pray as we have been doing for the past week remembering our brothers and sisters who perished at Pulse in Orlando. We pray and remember  them each by name and this night and respond with "Let light perpetual shine upon them"

Amanda Alvear, 25 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon her"

Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Cory James Connell, 21 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon her"

Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon her"

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him

Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon her"

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Kimberly Morris, 37 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon her"

Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon her"

Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old

"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon her"

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old

"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old
"Let light perpetual shine upon him"

God we lift up these precious ones to you as a reminder that life is precious and that we know that you know us all by name and love us. We pray that we  may come together in memory and in honor of all your children to affect positive change in this fragile and broken world that you have made. Amen.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we 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.

Watchful Jesus, Watch over all your children and all of creation this night as we rest gentle in your arms.

We offer our own prayers, thanksgivings, remembrances, and celebrations in the stillness and quietness of our souls remembering especially________________


All this we ask in the Holy Name of God. Amen.


We lift up these our prayers to you Lord Jesus. Amen.

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Good Night Precious and dear family! I love you! Know that you are loved, you matter and you are precious to God and to me. May you all have a restful and blessed night.

Love, joy, peace, and blessings be always yours,

Sara