A Prayer to Share
After the past two posts, I went back to my library looking for something that might turn me toward another subject, but instead, I found myself leafing through a little book, Prayers Plainly Spoken (another gem by Stanley Hauerwas). I rediscovered the following prayer at the back of the book -- a prayer written after the U.S. had sent missles into Iraq because Iraq had allegedly tried to kill former President George H. W. Bush by launching some missles of their own into Kuwait during Bush's visit in late April 1993. Then President Clinton authorized the U.S. missle strikes to show the Iraqi government he "meant business". I offer this almost eighteen year old prayer entitled, "Save us from our American Power", for our reflection:
Graceful Lord, we find ourselves living in the most powerful country in the world. The pride and self-righteousness such power breeds are beyond compare. No power exists that can humble us. We are tyrants of all we survey. We decide to bomb these people, send rockets against those people, kill those we call terrorists --all because we can. We are the most powerful people in the world. It is hard not to be caught up in such power. It is intoxicating. Save us from it. Sober us with the knowledge that you will judge this nation, you will humble this nation, you will destroy this nation for our pride. Send us a reminder that you are God, that you alone have the right of vengeance, and if it be your will, make those we bomb instruments of your judgment. At the very least, save us from the "nomality of killing." Amen.
I am discomforted by the strength of those words. They are difficult to read on this side of September 11, 2001. But these are words I will be sitting with in the days ahead. As I told someone via e-mail recently, I wrestle with what I believe to be Jesus' call to his followers to live the ways of non-violence, and I wonder how such a stance is possible in such a violent world. This wrestling is why I believe the Church is so necessary -- to provide a place in which confused souls like me can draw strength and support from a community which spans across space and time.
After the past two posts, I went back to my library looking for something that might turn me toward another subject, but instead, I found myself leafing through a little book, Prayers Plainly Spoken (another gem by Stanley Hauerwas). I rediscovered the following prayer at the back of the book -- a prayer written after the U.S. had sent missles into Iraq because Iraq had allegedly tried to kill former President George H. W. Bush by launching some missles of their own into Kuwait during Bush's visit in late April 1993. Then President Clinton authorized the U.S. missle strikes to show the Iraqi government he "meant business". I offer this almost eighteen year old prayer entitled, "Save us from our American Power", for our reflection:
Graceful Lord, we find ourselves living in the most powerful country in the world. The pride and self-righteousness such power breeds are beyond compare. No power exists that can humble us. We are tyrants of all we survey. We decide to bomb these people, send rockets against those people, kill those we call terrorists --all because we can. We are the most powerful people in the world. It is hard not to be caught up in such power. It is intoxicating. Save us from it. Sober us with the knowledge that you will judge this nation, you will humble this nation, you will destroy this nation for our pride. Send us a reminder that you are God, that you alone have the right of vengeance, and if it be your will, make those we bomb instruments of your judgment. At the very least, save us from the "nomality of killing." Amen.
I am discomforted by the strength of those words. They are difficult to read on this side of September 11, 2001. But these are words I will be sitting with in the days ahead. As I told someone via e-mail recently, I wrestle with what I believe to be Jesus' call to his followers to live the ways of non-violence, and I wonder how such a stance is possible in such a violent world. This wrestling is why I believe the Church is so necessary -- to provide a place in which confused souls like me can draw strength and support from a community which spans across space and time.
posted by FrGaryB | 10:52 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home