Eloheinu, Veilohei Avoteinu - Our God, and God of our ancestors,
We thank You for the opportunity to come together this day, from
different backgrounds, different religions, different communities; and to stand
here together as one.
We pray to You, O God, for the understanding and intelligence to
learn well the lesson that the unity, closeness, and resolve that we all feel
today must be lived each and every day of our lives. Help us recognize that all
people are members of one human family, and that the goal is to lead good lives
while dwelling together in peace.
As we dedicate this Memorial to the Lost, we too feel so lost. Our
souls are burning with anguish. Until When, Adonai?! Until when, Dear
God?!? How long must we live in fear?
You have given us the tools of progress, and we wield them to
hurt.
Our plowshares have jagged edges, and children are dying.
We have sinned. As a community, as a nation, as complacent
bystanders, we have ALL sinned. And we continue to sin. We have not done what
we can. We could have saved precious lives by changing our ways, and we have
not.
We ask You, O Lord, for the strength to face what numbs us, the
strength to hear the screams, the resolve to not let our vulnerability make us
feel powerless. We are not.
For we, Adonai, we are your images, and we are being erased.
We are erasing ourselves, and in so doing we are erasing You,
O God.
Dear Lord, this hurts so much. Teach us; guide us; make us
save each other.
Dear vulnerable images of God, here and everywhere,
We pray that you, in God's Name, and in the name of those
souls we have lost, remember that comforting each other might come first, and
dedicating monuments IS important, but the need will come again if nothing
changes. We can master this evil.
May this world know no more hatred and violence. May people live
in peace.
And let us now, together as one, all say: Amen.
(Adapted from 'A Prayer in Response to Gun Violence' by Rabbi Menachem Creditor)
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