A prayer of solidarity and healing after the terror attacks in Brussels. The closing stanza is written in English and the three official languages of Belgium: Dutch, German and French.
For Brussels
Author of life,
Man has turned violent,
Crushing lives,
Upending dreams,
Attacking the heart of a democratic nation
With vitriol and hatred
In coordinated acts of calculated terror.
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of terror in Belgium,
Innocents murdered and wounded,
Men and women whose lives were cut off by witless aggression.
Remember the survivors of this horror.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.
Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of Brussels Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing,
And Your peace.
Guide divin,
Main d’amour et refuge,
Accorde aux peuple de Bruxelles Ta protection,
Ta guérison,
Et ton intégrité,
Et accorde-leur Ta paix.
Himmlischer Vater,
Hand voller Liebe und Geborgenheit,
Gib den Menschen in Bruessel Deine Vollkommenheit,
Deinen Schutz,
Deine Kraft zu heilen,
Und Deinen Frieden.
Hemelse Gids,
Hand van de liefde en onderdak,
Verleen de Brusselaars Uw bescherming,
Uw toewijding,
Uw genezing,
En Uw vrede.
© 2016 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.
Postscript: This is based on my prayer “For Paris,” which is why I selected this image to illustrate the prayer. It was tweeted by Le Monde’s veteran cartoonist, Jean Plantureux, better known as Plantu. Thank you to my friends who translated the closing verse: Carolin Melamed, German; Genevieve Begue, French; and the Dutch by a friend who asked to remain anonymous.
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Photo credit: Jean Plantureux as shown in The Guardian
Tags: fear, grief, healing, loss, mourn, terror