Make me a channel of your peace

Make me a channel of your peace:

Where there is hatred, let me bring your love,

Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,

And where there’s doubt true faith in you.

Make me a channel of your peace:

Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope,

Where there is darkness, only light,

And where there’s sadness, ever joy.

O Master, grant that I may never seek

So much to be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand,

To be loved, as to love with all my soul!

Make me a channel of your peace:

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

In giving of ourselves that we receive,

And in dying that we are born to eternal life.

I felt it important to post my favourite hymn which is based on the prayer of St Francis of Assisi today.  In light of the awful shootings at the school in Newtown and the news that Westboro Baptist Church plan to picket the funerals of those who lost their lives.

I lost my connection to the Catholic Church a long time ago, but this hymn and St Francis’ prayer have always stayed with me throughout my life and have always brought me great comfort.  I can’t imagine the pain those families are going through right now, but I want them to know that there are people out there who are thinking of them.  That there are people who are sending their thoughts and prayers, lighting candles and honouring their dead as if they were their own.  We are a global family and when something as tragic as this happens we come together.

There is outrage at the NRA after the tweet from their spokesperson stating that their thoughts are with the families and the victims, there is outrage (in my opinion justified) at the Westboro Baptist Church, but that outrage doesn’t change what has happened and whilst it gives us fuel for our anger it doesn’t give anyone anything more than that.  This is when we should be standing together, demanding that things change and making things change.

If you believe that the gun laws should be changed and are in a position to lobby or sign petitions, protest (through peaceful means), and want to do it, then choose if you want to.  Put that pressure on in a constructive way.  If you live close to Newtown and want to protect the families during the funerals, why not line the streets so that they can’t hear or see the Phelps and their church members but instead see an overwhelming support of respect and love?

I haven’t provided links on here to either topics because all you have to do is a quick Google search and you’ll find the results you’re looking for.