Prayers – Bishop Paul

[Here is what I will do this morning [Sunday] after the prayers of the people in Scranton, in place of the confession of sin. I will ask the congregation to be seated, the better to pass through the silences.

Let us pray in silence (a pause follows each bullet point)

• for those who have been murdered

Charlotte Bacon, 6

Daniel Barden, 7

Olivia Engel, 6

Josephine Gay, 7

Ana Marquez-Greene, 6

Dylan Hockley, 6

Madeleine Hsu, 6

Catherine Hubbard, 6

Chase Kowalski, 7

Jesse Lewis, 6

James Mattioli, 6

Grace McDonnell, 7

Emilie Parker, 6

Jack Pinto, 6

Noah Pozner, 6

Caroline Previdi, 6

Jessica Rekos, 6

Avielle Richman, 6

Benjamin Wheeler, 6

Allison Wyatt, 6

Rachel Davino, 29, Teacher

Dawn Hochsprung, 47, School principal

Nancy Lanza, 52, Mother of gunman

Anne Marie Murphy, 52, Teacher

Lauren Rousseau, 30, Teacher

Mary Sherlach, 56, School psychologist

Victoria Soto, 27, Teacher

 • for the murderer, Adam Lanza

 • for those who grieve their death

 • for those who suffer from trauma

 • for those ministering to their bodies, minds, and spirits,

 • for the will to change our culture's norms

 • for the healing of our own violent impulses.

 Let us pray as the Spirit leads.
(lengthy silence)

God our deliverer, gather our horror and pity for the death of these children and teachers into the compass of your wisdom and strength, that through the night we may seek and do what is right, and when morning comes trust ourselves of your cleansing justice and new life; through Christ our Savior. Amen. [EOW 2]

Let us listen in silence for a word from the Lord. How is God calling us to change?

 ...

Prayer of St. Francis.
Lord, make us instruments of Thy peace: 
Where there is hatred, let us sow love; 
Where there is injury, pardon; 
Where there is discord, union; 
Where there is doubt, faith; 
Where there is despair, hope; 
Where there is darkness, light; 
Where there is sadness, joy. 
O Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek 
To be consoled, as to console; 
To be understood, as to understand; 
To be loved, as to love; 
For it is in giving that we receive, 
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 
And it is in dying that we are born 
To Eternal Life. Amen.

stand

The Peace of the Lord be always with you.