Words seem useless to fully describe the depth of our shock, our grief,
our fear and our outrage at the acts of terrorism that occurred yesterday
in our nation. But, tonight, we join together from our various traditions
to do what may help more than anything right now -and that is, to pray.
In the wake of the incredible violence that has been perpetrated on
thousands of our fellow human beings, we need to meet such acts of pure
evil with power. As numbness gives way to anger, it is natural that
many of us would seek retribution, to return violence with violence.
But, I'm not talking about military might. I believe that right now,
maybe more than ever before, we need to turn to the power of God -God,
the life-giving spirit and the force of love.
We are God's hands in the world. But how on earth do we embody God's
love in a case like this? And so we pray: God, How can we respond in
love to such evil, life-denying acts? How can we become your hands of
healing and peace where there is now pain and terror? We pray that you
will help us turn our outrage into loving action that will help create
a safe and just society for all people. Amen.
CLOSING WORDS
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending
spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing
evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence
you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence
merely increases hate…Returning violence for violence multiplies
violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot
drive out hate: only love can do that."
--The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
