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For Baltimore: A Prayer Attributed to St. Francis

April 28, 2015 12:59 am / 6 Comments on For Baltimore: A Prayer Attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

–The Rev. Mary Luck Stanley

Crisis in Baltimore: Seeking Peace and Justice for All

April 24, 2015 6:14 pm / Leave a comment

Baltimoreans have long had a complicated relationship with their police force, and this latest tragedy in the death of Freddie Gray highlights just how far we have to go. I have only lived in Baltimore for a couple of years now, having moved here from my childhood home in Texas (a place also greatly troubled by violence). Yet, more than I can ever recall experiencing in Texas, police sirens and presence are now a very regular part of my daily life.

 
It’s often tempting in a world filled with violence (both in reality and in the stories we tell), to turn to yet more violence to solve problems, seek revenge, take power, and/or find solace. However, in this “Statement By Faith Leaders Regarding the Current Crisis in Baltimore City,” I find reassurance that it isn’t through increased firepower, strife, violence, or surveillance that we will discover peace (of mind, body, environment, and spirit), but through understanding, respect, and love for our neighbors. As these Faith Leaders so rightly declare, “We profess that every life is precious to God, and are committed to building a City marked by peace, unity, and opportunity for all.”  

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33

–Katherine Mead-Brewer