3 excellent prayers for Paris Attacks by Jewish, Sikh and Christian Sources

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK (by Rev. Ed of Charleston Unity)

 

Here are some Interfaith thoughts from a few religions re: the Paris bombings:

 

A Jewish Reflection "What does it mean when we say 'terror won't win?' It means that we are commanded to live every second to its fullest, to devour with delight the marrow of life, to allow the sun to reach us through closed, grateful eyes, to see the light in each other's Divine Image, to urge the world one millimeter closer to fairness and justice, and to banish despair from our souls. Most of all, our response to something we experience as an attack on civilization must spur us to deepen our personal and communal commitments to build the world from Love faster than anyone can tear it down." Rabbi Menachem Creditor, Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA

 

A Sikh Prayer "I pray for the children whose smiles are now memories; For the mothers and fathers who will never see their sons and daughters again; For the brothers and sisters who can no longer laugh together; And for all of those who are now gone with the wind. The entire world is hurting. I pray that we realize, like always, that only love can heal our collective broken hearts. Hatred and division will only serve to create more hurt. May we be healers. May we be lovers. I pray that we can pick up the pieces from each and every tragedy; from France to the rest of Europe, from North America to Africa, from South America to Asia and from Australia to The Middle East; and come together, unified by our common desire for peace. May we continue to be giving in times of tragedy. May we remain hopeful in times of despair. And may we be so courageous so as to love without hesitation in times of terror. Vaheguru."

 

A Christian Prayer "Jesus, you told us to love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us. ...So we do pray for all the victims of this recent violence, but we also pray for those who are responsible for these atrocities. Give us the faith to believe they can be freed from their violence and hatred. Dear Jesus, we know you understand evil, because you stared it in the face as you were terrorized on the cross. Give us your courage to choose love. Show us a 'third way' that is neither submission nor assault, neither passivity nor war. Help us to oppose evil without mirroring it. Help us resist our oppressors without emulating them." -- Shane Claiborne, Red Letter Christians