Prayer in midst of tragedy

Our hearts grieve today in the face of a major tragedy when family and friends suffer so much. As Christians we turn our hearts toward God.

O Lord, once again death has invaded our ordinary daily lives. Sin and evil have again striven against the life You have given and won a battle; spreading death where there should have been life, and sorrow where there should have been joy.

You who are the Resurrection and the Life, be with the families who have been so cruelly separated by death. Comfort those who put their trust in You that You have overcome death. Remind them of the hope we have in You that those who put their faith in You, though they be gone from us here, are safe and at peace in Your everlasting arms, looking forward to the grand reunion at the Resurrection at the end of this age.

Grant we pray to those who have lost loved ones the grace and strength that their grief may not turn to bitterness, their sorrow to despair, or their hurt to rage. Grant them the grace to help and comfort each other rather than allowing the anger that comes from grief to further tear apart families and friends. Help them to find in You the grace and courage to forgive the unforgiveable and leave the one responsible for this outrage to Your justice. Be with those who seek to bring comfort and aid and inspire them with Your loving kindness that they may be effective in helping them through their grief and sorrow.

Assist those responsible for investigating and judging this crime to determine the truth of what happened and to respond appropriately for the good of the community, to speak for those injured and killed, to honor their memory, and to act on behalf of those who have suffered such great loss. Assist us as You will, to understand what could drive someone to commit such heinous acts, not to excuse his actions but to explain them so that more may be done to help the afflicted to avoid such evil. As we as a nation go forward having again suffered the effects of such sin and evil in our midst, help us to respond with love and comfort for those experiencing loss and carefully consider with Your wisdom and counsel what may be done to deter or prevent such occurrences in the future.

Be with us at this time of sorrow and outrage, and especially be with, comfort, and strengthen the families and friends most affected. Help us to remember that Your Son came to save us from the sin that infects us all and whose death at the hands of cruel and sinful humans was for our salvation from that sin, that He is our Way, our truth, and our Life. Amen

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