Prayer for the Transformation of Hearts

Written on: March 25, 2015

Many will remember when the Church prayed for the conversion of Russia. Today some are asking if we ought to be praying for the conversion of the many terrorist groups. Here is one possible response.

How can we live in a world filled with violence of all kinds and not succumb to a sense of helplessness, even hopelessness or counter-violence? Perhaps more dangerous still, would to be to live unaware of the part we play in the violence  of Racism, ISIS, Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Natural Disasters…  individually and collectively. As we enter into the last weeks of Lent, we might do well to make the prayer of Pope Francis our own and bring it to bear on the way we take in the nightly news.

“How I wish that all

men and women

of good will would

look to the cross,

if only for a moment.  There, we can see God’s reply:

violence is not answered with violence, death is not answered with the language

of death. In the silence of

the cross, the uproar of

weapons ceases and

the language of

reconciliation,

forgiveness,

dialogue & peace

is spoken.”

~ Pope Francis

This entry was posted in From our Sisters and tagged: Human Trafficking, ISIS, Lent. Pope Francis, Natural Disasters, Prayer, racism, Terrorism, Transformation, violence