Almighty God, comfort us now. Be the light in the midst of darkness and tragedy. Be our vision to see the lessons that need to be learned. Be the strength that we need to forgive those who have hurt us and give us the courage to persevere the storm. We complicate things so much that we blind ourselves from seeing the simple answer. You, Lord, are the answer. So stop our excuses because what really matters is what we do and not what we say. Remind us that You don’t use caution in loving the sons and daughters of God, You simply use courage.

“When something bad happens, we have three choices: we (either) let it define us, we let it destroy us, or we let it strengthen us” (Frank Langela).   Be our strength, O Lord, so that we can, “do something beautiful for God and take risks for love as Jesus risked his life for us” (Mother Theresa).   Let those living in the margins and the shadows be the standard of who we need to reach, protect and defend in the name of the only One who has and will always defend us.