After the
slaughter in Paris, no one wants to be reminded of this verse:
“You have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He
causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous.…”
When I was a youngster my mother told me that
when I had an issue with anyone (in that case it was the principal of my high
school) I should pray for that person every time the issue came to mind. I prayed with clenched teeth for months. But
I did it. It turned out very well and so
I have tried all my life to adhere to that advice. But it is never easy.
After the news broke, in every
church, in every country, prayers for the dead and the grieving in France went
up. Where I was no one mentioned praying
for those who committed these horrible acts.
The reaction of the world is to meet violence with violence and that may
be natural especially for those who have the wherewithal to take revenge but
the rest of us are helpless in the face of such a tragedy. But if we are bent on revenge and wiping out
these people how are we different from them?
But there is one thing we can do. We can pray for the people who are so deluded
that they planned and implemented such evil.
Bombs will not do it. Security measures have proven faulty. To pray
for these people will take all our strength but we can’t turn away from Jesus’
command. Jesus said that following him
will not be easy and now we are faced with the bitter truth of that statement.
Jesus
also said: “The Son of Man has come to
save what is lost” (Lk 19:10) Is anyone more lost than
these people? How do we overcome our
revulsion to be able to pray? We must
start with God. Jeremiah 29:12 says: “When you call me, and come and pray to me, I
will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me.” I had to believe that and start by asking
God to give me the strength to pray for ISIS and then composed this prayer.
Dear God, I call
on you to please turn the hearts of the people who are so lost, so angry, so misguided
that they have lost all human feeling and were able to plan and execute the horrors
visited on Paris. Inspire them to feel pity for the victim’s families and to spare
others the same fate. Help us all to
turn from thoughts of violent revenge and focus on finding ways to change their
minds and hearts. I pledge to be more aware of the indifference to the
struggles of others that could lead them to find that way of life attractive
and to help where I can. I pray and promise this in the name of Jesus, Our Lord. Amen.
I invite you to at least try. Imagine if the entire world prayed not just
for the victims but also for their murderers.
Our trust in God is being tested. Our commitment to Christ summoned.
With
love,
Carol
Lemelin OPA
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