Posts Tagged ‘truck attack prayer’

 

For Manhattan, New York

Posted on: November 1st, 2017 by Alden

After another day of horror, this one in New York City. Here is my “Liturgy after Terror Attacks.” May we never need prayers such as these again.

For Manhattan, New York
Author of life,
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of the massacre in Manhattan,
Whose lives were cut off by violence,
In a rampage of aggression beyond understanding,
Targeted by vehemence and hate.
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,
Send healing to those wounded in this assault,
Those struck by the hand of brutality.
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.

G-d of love and shelter,
Remember the families and friends
Of all the dead and the wounded
In New York, the U.S. and throughout the world.
Remember them with comfort and consolation.
Grant them Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing.

Heavenly Guide,
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.

© 2017 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: BBC News

For Nice

Posted on: July 15th, 2016 by Alden

Nice FranceA prayer of solidarity and healing after Thursday night’s Bastille Day truck attack in Nice. Sadly for the people of France, it’s in large part the same prayer I wrote “For Paris” after last year’s attacks, simply switching Nice for Paris, adding mention of children and removing reference to the coordinated nature of those attacks. The closing stanza is in French. A full French version follows.

For Nice
Author of life,
Man has turned violent,
Killing our children,
Killing our brothers and sisters,
Crushing lives,
Upending dreams,
Attacking the heart of a democratic nation
With vitriol and hatred.

Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of terror in Nice,
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 Nice Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing,
And Your peace.

Guide divin,
Main d’amour et refuge,
Accorde aux peuple de Niça Ta protection,
Ta guérison et ton intégrité,
Et accorde-leur Ta paix.

© 2015 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Pour Niça
Auteur de la vie,
L’homme s’est tourné vers la violence,
Tuer nos enfants,
Tuer nos frères et sœurs,
Ecrasant des vies,
Bouleversant des rêves,
Attaquant le cœur d’une nation démocratique
Avec vitriol et haine.

Source et Créateur,
Accorde un repos parfait sous ton tabernacle de la paix
Pour les victimes de la terreur à Niça,
Innocents tués et blessés,
Hommes et femmes dont les vies ont été tragiquement écourtées.

Rappelle-toi des survivants de cette horreur.
Accorde-leur un abri et du soulagement,
Du réconfort et de la consolation,
Une bénédiction et un renouvellement.
Accorde-leur l’endurance de survivre,
La force de reconstruire,
La foi pour se lamenter,
Le courage de guérir,
Et la dévotion à l’autre.

Guide divin,
Main d’amour et refuge,
Accorde aux peuple de Niça Ta protection,
Ta guérison et ton intégrité,
Et accorde-leur Ta paix.

Postscript: The original translation was created by Gary Goldman and sent to me by friend Cantor Sheri Allen. In order to get this out quickly, I’ve taken the risk of using Google Translate for the two additional lines “Killing our children / Killing our brothers and sisters.” I also removed a line of French. Any errors in the French version are my own. My prayer “For the Jews of France,” written in March, 2012, after the deadly anti-semitic attack in Toulouse, has also been translated into French.

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Photo credit: Buvizia

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