A Mother's Prayer

 

Change Our Hearts

“The heavens live in us, with us, as the reality under all things, as part of creation. In Christian theology, Jesus brings together sky and earth, the God who dwells with us. John 3:16 proclaims that this divine indwelling is life. Other religions say similar things in different ways—God is closer than we imagine, and the ever-active spirit is animating the world.”

Diana Butler Bass (Grounded, p.123; Harper One, 2015)

          We are all still reeling from the latest school shooting, this time in Texas. We hold vigils, and light candles, and ask the powers of heaven to help the families of those killed to have the strength to bear their grief, to bury their dead. We ask God to help us bear the knowledge that people live among us who would shoot little children to make a point. This is a uniquely American curse.

          I hope we will stop for one minute and realize that this is not the “will of God” and has nothing to do with mental illness. This has to do with a climate of hatred and the proliferation of weapons.

          We have the capacity to change our minds and hearts; to transform hate into love; to allow ourselves to live in peace with one another. It is we who choose not to. The entity we call God is not involved and will not rescue us from our own violent instincts. Never once has God reached down God’s divine hand and intervened in the human world in the way that we seem to believe. God is an indwelling spirit who exists within us and within all creation. As Diana Butler Bass points out, John 3:16 says, “for God so loved the world,” which also translates, “for God so loved creation,” not simply the human species. If we do not summon the will to protect our own children, no divine being will do it for us.

          The time has come for us to realize that everything is connected. Children cannot be marginalized, bullied, neglected, and still grow up to be whole, productive citizens. We all bear a responsibility to help our young ones prosper—not just when they are in utero, but always. Let us take this time, while we grieve, to consider what we can do to turn this ship around—to reestablish moral ground based on the only true moral value—love for one another.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane