Pray for Dallas, Pray for a Culture of Life

Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. I speak as a child of God and brother…”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Thursday night, many of us heard of the tragic sniper attack during a Black Lives Matter protest in Downtown Dallas. The Dallas police were there to protect the people, and ended up the victims of a horrific and heinous deadly attack. Five officers died and several others were wounded.

I was 18 miles away from Downtown Dallas when this happened. My husband and I actually planned on attending the noon Mass at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Downtown Dallas on Friday. However, our plans changed on Thursday night as we followed this story. I had difficulty sleeping because my heart was so unsettled from the attacks so close to my area.

Diocese of Dallas Bishop Kevin Farrell posted a Facebook video saying that “we have been swept up in the escalating circle of violence that has now touched us intimately, as it has others throughout our country and the world.” You can view the full video here:

Our country is in a battle between good and evil; between life and death. This is not the only type of violence that negatively affects our society. There are innocent children being brutally murdered legally every day through the horrific act of abortion. People are legally allowed to end their lives by means of euthanasia. Acts of violence, including what happened in Dallas, have become a pattern. It doesn’t matter if it is legal or illegal, life is life, and only God has the right to take it.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. put it, how must the “madness cease”?

I truly believe that the most powerful and effective thing we can do is to fast and pray.

Pope John Paul II said in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, “Let us therefore discover anew the humility and the courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will break down the walls of lies and deceit: the walls which conceal from the sight of so many of our brothers and sisters the evil of practices and laws which are hostile to life. May this same power turn their hearts to resolutions and goals inspired by the civilization of life and love”

During this time of mourning, let us pray for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives, for the police officers who were injured, for the Dallas Police Department, and for the families who lost their loved ones.

Let us also pray for the people who have been hurt by these acts of violence. Pray for our leaders to make the right choices to protect life. Ask for the Blessed Mother’s protection upon our country. (She is our patron, after all.)  Pray that God will give every human person the grace to respect and love the other person.

As we pray, let us also recognize that every life matters. God’s eyes do not focus on the color of our skin. Each of us are created uniquely, and he loves us individually and equally. If we all looked at each other the way God looks at each of us, the world would be a completely different place.

Through your prayers, you can transform hearts and change lives. Your prayers will make all the difference and change our society from being a society of death to a society of life. God can do anything. He is the definition of peace, love and unity.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Mt. 7:7-8

To all those affected by the Dallas Police shooting, you are in my prayers. I ask the Blessed Mother reign upon your household, give you peace, and for her to escort your loved ones into the glory of eternal life.

Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.