Words for the shootings in Gilroy, CA; El Paso, TX; Dayton OH; Brooklyn, New York; and so many more this summer in the USA, and for those suffering violence & bigotry.
Adapted by CSL SMSE Committee from Masando and Rebecca Hiraoka’s Prayer for El Paso, TX posted by MileChurch, Denver CO.
This weekend alone we must face, yet again, a peculiarly American tragedy – 3 mass shootings in the USA. The shooting in El Paso, like so many others, appears to have been driven by bigotry and the hatred and fear that bigotry creates. It is tempting to turn away from this news because we are numb from all the other days we’ve woken up to similar news of mass shootings, of bombings, of all manner of violence in the USA, and around the world, carried out in the name of division, fear, and bias so deep it rots the bones.
We are asked, however, by the Spirit of Love & Unity that runs through our veins, that knits our communities and families together, and by the principle of Oneness by which we live to stand strongly and clearly in our compassion for and support of those who are suffering.
We lean into the knowledge that Spirit is alive in El Paso, Dayton, in New York and CA, in the USA, and in the world. We know that every moment Spirit is supporting us into a life of both compassion and action. Love asks to be multiplied, even in the harshest conditions.
Today we hold in our hearts all those experiencing the terror of gun violence. We will not turn away from the suffering. We mourn for and honor our precious sisters and brothers whose lives were lost. We know that comfort and all needed resources are surrounding those who have lost loved ones. We know Divine healing is present at the bedside and in the bodies of those fighting for their lives in the hospital. We know comfort and Divine guidance for the first responders and medical professionals serving those impacted by this tragedy.
As spiritual scientists, we know that what is happening in the world today is a reflection of a consciousness that is festering in the US and around the world. “We hold in our hearts all those who suffer under the weight of their own bigotry as we allow our own bias to be healed more and more each day. May we continually wake up to our Oneness with all of life. May we see God in all people and all living things.” We also know that words matter. When the rhetoric of the time, particularly from the highest political offices, separate, divide, and call out our darkest selves, it makes incidents like these more likely.
In this, we realize that Love is also ushering us into collective action, to bring forth a transformation and healing of the USA’s addiction to gun violence & bigotry. We trust that each one of us is guided to take the right, necessary, and inspired actions that fosters healing, individually and with others who are inspired to create systemic change. We are, every day, celebrating diversity, fostering peace, and deepening belonging of all beings. We are divinely called to this work of peacemaking.
We are grateful for the beloved community and this spiritual family that steps up and mourns together, provides resources, pours compassion into pain, and dares to build communities of peace where all people belong and are safe.
With love for our human family, we release these words into the Universe knowing that hope, compassion, resources, love, and healing are alive today and always wherever these tragedies strike, in the United States, in the world, and in the hearts of all people. We Trust in Divine Guidance, our collective moral courage, and the willingness to act for the raising and transformation of consciousness.
In Love and Service,
The SMSE Committee
Dr. Kenn Gordon, Spiritual Leader
Dr. Petra Weldes, Chair
Dr. David Alexander
Dr. Jim Lockard
Rev. Andriette Earl
Rev. Mark Gilbert
Rev. Masando Hiraoka
Rev. Sara Nichols
Rev. Abigail Schairer
Sara Awad, RScP
Layne Taylor