Vigil today at St Michael’s Episcopal Church in Brattleboro at 1 PM 17 March 2019
LIGHT A CANDLE:
New Zealand is ablaze with anger,
candles, and prayers… I add my candles
and prayers for the victims.
Salam Wa- Alakom.
May the Peace of God be upon you.
And, I light a candle for
the killer.
I light a candle for souls
twisted in pain and delusion.
For the hundreds and thousands
more driven to despair —
held in the terror of their madness.
I light a candle for their pain
It is so easy to hate
those held with hate.
It is too easy to love,
those bound with kindness.
But how do we love
the hateful?
How do we embrace
the hated and
hold them in the arms
of possibility?
How do we love that which
we find
the most odious,
detestable,
and repulsive?
How do we find
our way back to love?
How do we embrace
the enigma and
paradox of love?
I light a candle for those
who were killed.
A salaam walakom
May the peace of Allah be upon you
I light a candle for
the murderer
And, as well today
we light a candle
to raise it up high,
to stand against
hate and intolerance.
We light 50 candles,
to the victims
of the Christ Church Mosque
As we embrace
the paradox of love.
Namaya