A prayer today for Sandy Hook

O Lord Christ,
Who said “Let the little children to come unto Me,
for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven …
O Lord Jesus, Who was born an infant in a Bethlehem stable cave one evening
and nursed at His mother’s breast …

Today, in Sandy Hook
there are no twenty children in two schoolrooms,
there are no messy beds in twenty bedrooms,
there are no calls for chicken nuggets,
no viewings of Veggie Tales, no sniffy noses and zipped up coats,
no crayon pictures and magic marker cheer-up cards with smily stick-figures,
and there will be no Bethlehem Angel at St. Rose’s Christmas Play.

Not today in Sandy Hook.

We will not ask You, Lord, why this had to be,
because it never had to be.
Sin and evil, death and pain never had to be.
But it is here today in Sandy Hook,
and so are You.

Today for Sandy Hook,
we pray a thousand little prayers,
like the Christmas lights in Newtown, in Danbury, in Pittsburgh and New York,
they and the candles flicker flames of grace.
We pray that You will walk beside the policemen who cannot leave
a crime scene no one should ever see,
the helpers who must bring impossible comfort to men and women, boys and girls
who are in a place where no one should ever be,
the priests and rabbis and ministers,
who must pray and believe because others have seen an evil that should never be.
But today they have to, let them come unto You.

We pray You will stand by the moms and dads
who expected their own children to arrange the expected funerals
after a long retirement and sweet old age,
but today, moms and dads must stand by the flowers and balloons arrayed, most incongruously,
by unexpected coffins that are too little, too tiny, too innocent and small.
No parent should have to bury their children
but today they have to, let them come unto You.

We pray, Lord Christ,
that You will reward the heroines great,
the teachers who stood in the gap
and like Your Mother, never left and stayed and interposed
themselves
in front of Satan’s rage,
and like You, died so might others live.
Smile on them, Lord, forever.

We pray, Gentle Shepherd, that You will lead the little lambs by Your gracious hand,
that You will pick them up one by one and laugh and hold them high,
because we can not.
Let the children jump into Paradise without a single tear, or fear, or terror in the night.
Comfort and embrace them, You Who said, the Kingdom is like unto these who are dead.

You said, “Let the little children come unto Me,”
You have them now Lord Jesus,
let them ever be.

Comments

[Darlene Griffith]

Thank you for painting a beautiful picture of Christ gathering up the 20 little ones in His arms. May those who remain grieving the loss of their loved ones find comfort in His loving embrace.

[Marty]

Amen. Amen. Amen.

In Christ,
Fr. Marty