After a Deadly Rampage
Friday brought the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Sadly, it’s not an issolated event. The Huffington Post reports an average of 20 mass killings in the U.S. annually, quoting a Scripps-Howard study of FBI data. According to that article, between 1980 and 2008 a total of 4,685 people died in 965 U.S. mass-murders.
This is a prayer of mourning and consolation after a deadly rampage. It’s based on a prayer I wrote “For the People of Norway.” Unfortunately, there are so many mass attacks that a more generalized prayer seems necessary. The focus of this prayer is on the dead and the injured, making no reference to issues related to the Second Amendment/gun control debate in the U.S. My goal is to have a memorial prayer that we all can use at these times of horror. Please see “At the Hand of Violence” for prayer in memory of an individual.
May the memories of the righteous be a blessing.
After a Deadly Rampage
Author of life
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of the massacre
In _________________________ [add place of the event],
Whose lives were cut off by violence,
A rampage of witless aggression beyond understanding.
Their hopes were severed.
Their dreams were lost to brutality.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
May they rest in peace.
G-d of justice and mercy,
Remember, too, the survivors of this attack,
Witnesses of shock, horror and dismay.
Ease their suffering and release their trauma
So that they recover lives of joy and wonder.
Grant them Your shelter and solace,
Blessing and renewal.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
And courage to heal.
Remember the families and friends
Of the dead and the wounded.
With comfort and consolation.
Grant them Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing.
May they find hope and renewal.
Heavenly Guide,
Source of love and shelter,
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear
And lead us to a time when
No one will suffer at the hand of another,
Speedily, in our day.
© 2012 Alden Solovy and http://www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.
Postscript: Here’s a Yizkor prayer to be said for an individual killed “At the Hand of Violence.” Please also see this “Munich Massacre Memorial Prayer.”
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