"IF YOU SPEAK MY NAME, I WILL LIVE FOREVER." A Vigil and Memorial for the Precious ones who lost their lives in the Syrian gas attacks

Dear Family of God, Love, and Hope,

Tonight we are going to pray for the precious ones who lost their lives in the Syrian gas attacks by name. Each of them were made in the image and likeness of God, each of them had a life, a story, hopes, dreams, future, joys, and sorrows. Each of them are our family members and as such deserve to be named just as we did when we prayed for and remembered the Orlando 49. That is what we are here to do tonight in the quiet of our hearts, and our own sacred spaces. During the following minutes, hours, days, and weeks to come, look upon everyone you meet as a beloved child of God and love one another with a clean and pure heart. Don't forget to care for the least of these and if you can spare a donation please consider donating to one of the aid agencies serving refugees, the needy, and international agencies that are in desperate need of help during these tragedies. 


We begin tonight's vigil with the lighting of our virtual candles or if you have one or more at home you may do that as well.

Let us cleanse our hearts, minds, and spirits as we say this Smudging Prayer (Please adapt for your chosen faith community)

Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.

God we come to you this night still with heavy hearts and we pray and remember our brothers and sisters who perished in the Syrian Gas attacks.. We pray and remember  them each by name and this night and respond with "IF YOU SPEAK MY NAME, I WILL LIVE FOREVER. and May Peace Be upon him/ her/ or them.



1-Molham Jihad al-Yusuf

2. Yasser Ahmed Al-Yousef

3. Child- Ammar Yasser Al-Yousif 7 years old

4. Child- Muhammad Yasser Al-Yousef 10 years old

5. Ms. Sana Haj Ali, wife of Yasser

6-Abdul Karim Ahmed al-Yusuf

7 - Child Ahmad Abdul Hamid Al - Yusuf 9 months old

8 - Child Abdul Hamid al -Yusuf 9 months old

9. Ms. Dalal Ahmed Al-Sahh, wife of Abdul Hamid Al-Yousuf

10-Ibrahim Mohammed Hasan al-Yousuf

11. Child Muhammad Hassan al-Yusuf 11 years old

12. Ms. Hind Turki Al-Yousef

13. Omran Suhail Al-Yousef

14. Ahmed Suhail Al-Yousef

15. Nihad Ahmad al-Yusuf

16-King (Malak?) Turki al-Yusuf, wife of Nihad al-Yusuf

17. Nur Nihad al-Yusuf

18. Hassan Mohammed Al-Yousef

19-Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Yousef

20. Imad Al-Din Al-Qudh - Pharmacist

21 - ... 23 - Children of Imad al-Din al-Qudh We did not get their names

24. Turki al-Qudh

25. The wife of Turki al-Qudh

26. The child Hind Turki al-Qudh

27.28- My baby Turki Qudh We did not get their names

29. Ms. Raja Mohammed Al-Mohammad

30. Anas al-Khalid - Teacher

31-Mr. Fatima Al-Sousi, the wife of Anas Al-Khalid - a school teacher

32. The child Mustafa Anas Al-Khalid

33. The child Alaa Anas al-Khalid

34. The child Shahd Anas al-Khalid

35. The child Abdul Rahman Ans al-Khalid

36. The child Khadija Anas al-Khalid

37-Ahmed Khalid Halawa

38. Khaled Halawa

39. The child Shaima Ibrahim al-Jawhar

40. Ahmad Shahoud al-Reem Abu Muhanna

41. Abu Ayman al-Jawhar

42. Ms. Safia Haj Kaddour, wife of Abu Ayman al-Jawhar

43. The child Meyar al-Mari

44. Amer Al-Naif- lawyer

45. Alaa Al-Naif

46. ​​Mohammed Al-Naif

47. Alaa Mohammed Al-Naif

48- The wife of Alaa Mohammed Al-Naif

49- Wife of Alaa Mohammed Al-Naif

50- Jamila Hafez Al-Qasem - A pediatrician.

51. Dirar Al-Aliawi Abu Emad

52. Mohammed Jamal Al-Qassem

53- The wife of Muhammad Jamal al-Qasim

54- Fatima Jamal Al-Qassem

55- son of Mohammed Said Barhoum

56. Hayyan Al-Ali

57- Wife of Hayyan Al-Ali

58-59 Children of the children of Hayyan Al-Ali

Hear our prayers.


God we light this single candle in loving memory for all who died in the Syrian gas attacks and by
 all forms of terror . Let light perpetual continue to shine upon them and give them peace.

God we light this single candle as a reminder of the need to become the compassionate, accepting, loving, and merciful family you have made us to be. We pray that we all may be one!

God, we light this single candle as we remember how important it is to shine light into the dark places of this world. Give us courage to be the light and shine with God's loving goodness to all.

God we light this single candle as we remember to respect the diversity of  all God's children.

God we light this single candle in love for our worldwide family members that we may be united in diversity without fear.

God we light this single candle and pray the words of  the prayers for the dead of the three Abrahmic  faiths:

Prayers for the dead (Christian)

N , go forth upon your journey from this world,
in the name of God the Father almighty who created you;
in the name of Jesus Christ who suffered death for you;
in the name of the Holy Spirit who strengthens you;
in communion with the blessed saints,
and aided by angels and archangels,
and all the armies of the heavenly host.
May your portion this day be in peace,
and your dwelling the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen



The Mourner's Kaddish (Judaism)


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



Salat al-Janazah - Islam

"O God, forgive our living and our dead, those who are present among us and those who are absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O God, whoever You keep alive, keep him alive in Islam, and whoever You cause to die, cause him to die with faith. O God, do not deprive us of the reward and do not cause us to go astray after this. O God, forgive him and have mercy on him, keep him safe and sound and forgive him, honour his rest and ease his entrance; wash him with water and snow and hail, and cleanse him of sin as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. O God, give him a home better than his home and a family better than his family. O God, admit him to Paradise and protect him from the torment of the grave and the torment of Hell-fire; make his grave spacious and fill it with light."


We stand with the people of Syria who are our family members! We pray with heavy hearts as we remember the New Holy Innocents!

God hear our prayers and let our cries and their cries come unto you !

We stand with all refugees who are trapped with no place to call home. We pray with heavy hearts as we remember all refugees especially the Holy Family.

God hear our prayers and let our cries and their cries come unto you !

We stand with all oppressed people everywhere that we may strive for justice and respect the dignity of every human being  We pay and remember all of our family members who are in captivity by terrorists, human traffickers, and abusers.

God hear our prayers and let our cries and their cries come unto you !


We stand with all aid agencies who serve and care for  the refugee, the injured, the victims of human trafficking, and human rights violations,  We pray for UNHCR, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Episcopal Relief and Development, the Red Crescent Society, and all groups who seek peace in war torn areas in lands that are far away.


God hear our prayers and let our cries and their cries come unto you !

God as we have prayed the prayers above for the dead help us to remember that we all are formed in your image and likeness and that in the words spoken at Ash Wednesday "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return" Help us to not fear death but celebrate life. Amen. 

We close this night's vigil with the following classic prayers:

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  and terrorist act our world has ever known. We light our candles and remember the Syrian Gas Attacks, The Orlando 49,  9/11 ( 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. Amen.

"IF YOU SPEAK MY NAME, I WILL LIVE FOREVER."

Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

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.

Tavener -Song for Athene

The  Beatitudes  Matthew 5:3–12 

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (5:3)

Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)

Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)

Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10

Lord you have searched me out and known me- Andrew Hague

"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Psalm 23- Bobby McFerrin

Optional additions using the lessons from the Holy Innocents and the vigil form above but with an extra ending.

Now let us meditate and pray for the New Holy Innocents of Syria

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Jeremiah 31:15-17

Thus says the Lord:

A voice is heard in Ramah,

lamentation and bitter weeping.

Rachel is weeping for her children;

she refuses to be comforted for her children, 

because they are no more.

Thus says the Lord:

Keep your voice from weeping,

and your eyes from tears;

for there is a reward for your work,

says the Lord:

they shall come back from the land of the enemy;

there is hope for your future,

says the Lord: 

your children shall come back to their own country.

Psalm 124

Nisi quia Dominus

1 If the Lord had not been on our side, *

let Israel now say;

2 If the Lord had not been on our side, *

when enemies rose up against us;

3 Then would they have swallowed us up alive *

in their fierce anger toward us;

4 Then would the waters have overwhelmed us *

and the torrent gone over us;

5 Then would the raging waters *

have gone right over us.

6 Blessed be the Lord! *

he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.

7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; *

the snare is broken, and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the Name of the Lord, *

the maker of heaven and earth.

Revelation 21:1-7

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals. 

He will dwell with them as their God; 

they will be his peoples, 

and God himself will be with them; 

he will wipe every tear from their eyes. 

Death will be no more; 

mourning and crying and pain will be no more, 

for the first things have passed away.”

And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Matthew 2:13-18

When the wise men had departed, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

"A voice was heard in Ramah,

wailing and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."

"A voice was heard in Ramah,

wailing and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."

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How long must we be faced with the deaths of our innocents? How long must our family members endure torture at the hands of governments, tyrants, and extremists ? How long must we see and hear these stories of murder, abuse, terror, hate and injustice on a daily basis? How long will it take tor so-called Christian people to wake up and see what they are saying and preaching is against the Lord and Savior they are supposedly following? How long O, God ? How Long? How long  O, Jesus? How long O, Holy Spirit? How Long? 

Let us with God's help:

Stand with the people of Syria  and all places where violence is occurring on a daily basis.

(The original prayer line: Stand with the people of Ferguson, Staten Island, Sandy Hook, Sydney, Peshwar and all places where violence is occurring on a daily basis.)

Not be complacent but actively engaged in fighting injustice everywhere.

Stand up for what is right, just, and merciful.

Stand up against violence, terror, torture, and abuse of any kind.

Stand up and practice peace and be God's peace makers.

Stand with refugees, captives, victims of violence and abuse, victims of modern slavery and human trafficking, our undocumented immigrants, LGBTQ sisters and brothers. We all our family !

Love God, Family members, and ourselves.

Stand up and be light bearers to your fragile and broken world.

Stand up for universal human rights for all God's Children.

Stand with each other and not against each other.

Stand up against extremism in all its forms.

Stand with the least of these

Stand with the voiceless ones and those who are crying out and seeking to be heard.

Stand with the vulnerable.

Stand with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as bringers of love, peace, joy, and hope.

The light of Christ in me recognizes the light of Christ in you!

The God in me Loves me Loves the God in you!

The Holy Spirit who comforts me Comforts you this day when things we can't explain and gives us heavy heart.

Will you Stand with me?  Will you love one another?  Will you love your enemies and do good to those who hate you?  Will you continue to walk with me/us  on our journey?

Let us close with this vigil!


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.Tonight we add our family members in Syria and Mosul.  Let us always remember and never forget:

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.

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Good Night Dear Brothers and Sisters ! I love you! You know the rest. May we pray in peace, harmony, love and togetherness. Be CALM(Compassionate, accepting, Love, and Merciful)


With love and peace,

Sara

Resources

Thank you Duane Anders for the  compilation of the Names!
 Smudging Prayer