Friday night, at Trinity Cathedral's
Vigil of Lament and Hope: Prayers for the victims of gun violence
, Bishop Megan shared a message of lament and hope to welcome the attendees and set the tone for the service. You can read that message below:
Friday, August 9, 2019
Friends,
Tonight, we grieve again as deadly gun shots have rung out across our country in the short span of a week. In Dayton, OH, in El Paso, TX, in Gilroy, CA, and on and on.
Tonight, we have joined together as people of faith alongside our civic leaders to honor those who have died, offering prayers and words of lament and hope in this beautiful cathedral. It is fitting that we offer our prayers here as it is a place of prayer for all people. The Church and this cathedral should be a place where we can gather together to pour out our grief, share our hope and to express our shared desire for a peaceful and loving community.
Tonight, we pause as sorrow and hope hold hands across the pain of this moment. But we must also move and push forward, rounding the corner toward answers; solutions that provide the assurance of safety we need in our communities. Let us take action, joining our civic leaders in asking for the change that is necessary to make our city, our state and our country safe from gun violence.
Tonight, I invite you, again, to join me in unceasing prayer as we bear witness to the continued suffering of our children, siblings and parents: families together. I pray that we might recognize and begin the right actions to address this scourge of anger and sorrow. As Jesus commanded us to pray for others, we pray also for those who have used violence against others, that God’s grace may transform all of our lives.
Grant, O God, that your holy and lifegiving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer 823
