Dear Georgian Court Community Members,
The mass shooting yesterday in Uvalde, Texas, has evoked shock, sadness, grief, and a collective sense of loss. It feels like I just shared these same sentiments last week following the tragedy in Buffalo, where families are still burying their dead.
We struggle to find words, but there are times when no words come to us.
We can, however, unite ourselves with the bereaved and broken-hearted. Please set aside a moment of prayerful silence today to “dwell” with the victims of the senseless and horrific school shooting: the 19 children and 2 adults who were killed, their devastated families and friends who now struggle to go on while bearing the unimaginable, and the devastated community of Uvalde.
Please pray for teachers, who must pretend that everything is “normal” as they educate young children this week. Pray for parents who are nervous and anxious today because 19 innocent youngsters were killed at school less than 24 hours ago. Pray for the shooter’s grandmother, who is fighting for her life, and for our country as we look for constructive ways forward.
Today is a day for care, reflection, and introspection. At the right time, we will set aside another moment to re-commit ourselves, in Mercy, to the way of peace and nonviolence.
For now, I invite you to revisit and share our prayer for nonviolence, which was a focal point during Critical Concerns Week 2022:
Hear us, O God, as we pray for the conversion of our hearts and for a commitment to peace among nations, beginning with our own: We repent of and renounce every form of violence: our trust in guns more than grace, our greed, our grudges, our prejudice and intolerance, our silence and inaction when we hear the cry of the poor and persecuted. Help us to proclaim your reign of peace by working for justice. Help us to resist evil without resorting to hate. May it be so. May we so do. Amen.
Sincerely,
Joseph R. Marbach, Ph.D.
President
