A Prayer for Uvalde, Texas

Shared by Father William Carpenter

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

This morning in Uvalde, Texas, there is weeping and great mourning–mothers and fathers, coworkers, family members, such grief

Perhaps the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda:

There are moments that the words don’t reach
There is suffering too terrible to name
You hold your child as tight as you can
And push away the unimaginable
The moments when you’re in so deep
It feels easier to just swim down.
The Hamiltons move uptown
And learn to live with the unimaginable
There are moments that the words don’t reach
There’s a grace too powerful to name

That is what parents, family members, coworkers, the town of Uvalde, the state of Texas and
the country are facing this morning — what we don’t need, but we will get, are politicians, on
both sides of the aisle, using this moment for political points,

It seems to me, that ages old question still must be asked today – am I my brother’s keeper?

What have we done to train our educators, our school health care workers, our administrators –
to recognize, address, and face concerning mental illness – what are we doing as a society to
truly address this issue. Yes, we are our brothers (and sisters) keepers.

Please pause with me for prayer –

In this moment of vulnerability – Father we need a grace that cannot be named; we realize in
such times that we too, can become victims of such a tragedy; give us strength to do what is the
right thing, to do what is before us – give us grace to love well, to learn to extract the vile from
the precious in life; walk in the light and hope of your promises – we offer our prayer through
your Son, who loved us and gave himself for us. Amen.