Here is a prayer for this year’s Ascension Day where gun violence has once again brought more despair to my home country. Feel free to share it.

O Ascended Christ, Who is seated in heaven and sees our griefs on earth, we cry to You, “How long, O Lord?” in the wake of senseless violence. Once again harmful hands have brought us to the valley of the shadow of death, and they have even touched our children in their learning and their playing. We tire of sympathetic thoughts and struggle in our prayers, and we long for more than comfort that will get us through this moment. We long for wisdom and good actions from our leaders that will change our mourning and sorrow into dancing and joy. Take us beyond thoughts and prayers and a dead faith without works that we might have the life You give and have it more abundantly. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.

The image featured in this post is by Maria Lysenko of unsplash.com and is free for public use.