Pray for Uvalde, TX

Words are at the heart of my vocation and ministry. My days are filled with them. But in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, I struggle to find the “right” words for this moment. Two teachers, 19 children. Do I shout with outrage about a nation in which there are more guns than people? Do I lament the tragedy of young lives lost so tragically? Do I call us to action? Do I provide reassurance that Jesus’ resurrection is more powerful than death?

I’ve articulated all of this in the past. But my words don’t change anything. From Columbine High School to Virginia Tech to Sandy Hook Elementary School to Emanuel AME to the Pulse Nightclub to Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School to the FedEx facility in Indianapolis and on and on.

Words of comfort sound tone deaf when I feel the accumulated weight of too many senseless tragedies. For me, today is a day not for comfort but for lamentation. The words which express best how I feel are found in the Litany in the Wake of a Mass Shooting. Starting with 2012, it lists ten years of death.

If you pray the litany, I suggest doing so slowly and in a place that feels secure and sacred. Give yourself time for silence. But I offer a warning. This is difficult to pray. It offers little comfort beyond the assumption that God hears our prayers and the assurance that divine light shines perpetually. Sometimes, when facing reality and truth, we need to take whatever comfort we can find.

[Note: What follows is a condensed version of the litany, placing the versicle and response—Give to the departed eternal rest. Let light perpetual shine upon them—at the end of the list instead of after each mass shooting. You’ll find the full litany on the website of Bishops United Against Gun Violence.]

God of peace, we remember all those who have died in incidents of mass gun violence in this nation’s public and private spaces.

Six dead at the Wisconsin Sikh Temple.

Twelve dead at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater.

Twenty-eight dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Six dead at Santa Monica College, California.

Seven dead at a Hialeah, Florida apartment complex.

Thirteen dead at the Washington Navy Yard.

Four dead at Fort Hood, Texas.

Seven dead in Isla Vista, near UC Santa Barbara.

Five dead at Marysville Pilchuck High School in Washington.

Six dead in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Nine dead at Emanuel AME in Charleston, South Carolina.

Sixteen dead at a San Bernardino, California office.

Ten dead at Umpqua Community College, Oregon.

Six dead in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Four dead at a Hesston, Kansas office.

Five dead at a Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania backyard party.

Fifty dead at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

Five dead at Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington.

Five dead at Fort Lauderdale Airport.

Four dead in Fresno, California.

Eight dead in Lincoln County, Mississippi.

Four dead at an Eaton Township, Pennsylvania supermarket.

Nine dead at a Plano, Texas football-watching party.

Fifty-nine dead at a Las Vegas, Nevada concert.

Twenty-seven dead at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Seventeen dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Five dead at the Veterans Home in Yountville, California.

Four dead at a Nashville, Tennessee Waffle House.

Ten dead at Santa Fe High School, Texas.

Five dead at the Capital Gazette Newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.

Four dead at the Fifth Third Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Four dead at a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland.

Eleven dead at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Thirteen dead at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California.

Five dead at a bank in Sebring, Florida.

Five dead at their homes in Ascension and Livingston parishes, Louisiana.

Six dead at an industrial park in Aurora, Illinois.

Four dead at a home in Clinton, Mississippi.

Four dead in Solon Township, Michigan.

Thirteen dead at a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Four dead at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California.

Twenty-two dead at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.

Ten dead at the Oregon District of downtown Dayton, Ohio.

Eight dead on the road between the cities of Odessa and Midland, Texas.

Five dead in their home in Elkmont, Alabama.

Four dead at a bar in Kansas City, Kansas.

Four dead at a backyard football watch party in Fresno, California

Six dead at a cemetery and kosher market in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Six dead at the Molson Coors complex in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Five dead at a convenience store in Springfield, Missouri.

Five dead in the northeast side of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Eight dead at three spas in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ten dead at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado.

Four dead at an office complex in Orange, California.

Six dead at a home in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Nine dead at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Seven dead at a birthday party in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Ten dead at a rail yard in San Jose, California.

Four dead at Oxford High School in Oxford Township, Michigan.

Five dead in Lakewood and Denver, Colorado.

Five dead at The Church in Sacramento, California.

Six dead in downtown Sacramento, California.

Ten dead at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.

Twenty-two dead at Robb Elementary School.

All those who have died in any incident of gun violence.

Give to the departed eternal rest.

Let light perpetual shine upon them.

For survivors of gun violence. Grant them comfort and healing.

Hear us, Lord.

For those who have lost loved ones to gun violence. Grant them peace.

Hear us, Lord.

For those first responders who care for victims of gun violence. Protect and strengthen them.

Hear us, Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Hug those you love. Be kind to strangers. Help your neighbors. Reach out to your elected representatives. Pray without ceasing.