These Powerful Prayers For Paris Will Give You Hope, No Matter Your Faith

"What does it mean when we say 'terror won't win?'

It means that we are commanded to live every second to its fullest, to devour with delight the marrow of life, to allow the sun to reach us through closed, grateful eyes, to see the light in each other's Divine Image, to urge the world one millimeter closer to fairness and justice, and to banish despair from our souls.

Most of all, our response to something we experience as an attack on civilization must spur us to deepen our personal and communal commitments to build the world from Love faster than anyone can tear it down."

--Rabbi Menachem Creditor, Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA

"Our fractured world is in turmoil. Mother Earth gathered all of her children into the folds of her embrace to wipe away tears. Why do you fight? "You were created from male and female and made into nations and tribes so you could get to know one another and learn to coexist." [Qur'an 49:13]

Dear God of infinite mercy and wisdom, we are all Your people so help us know one another. Give us courage to conquer our fears, faith to lay to rest our doubts, and strength to defeat the forces of hatred and evil that seek to divide and pit us against one another.

God, You are pure and perfect. Help us find purity in our hearts and minds, and make sense of the senseless as we try to assemble a puzzle that should never have been taken apart. You are our source of healing and comfort. The magnitude of our collective pain has brought Your people together, kneeled in prayer; help us rise again.

God, You are our forgiving Creator. You create raindrops of blessings to saturate the parched lips of your servants. Make us instruments of change to rid Your creation of harm as we strive to transform the hardships and trials we endure into blessings and opportunities that benefit our world.

God, you are the most Merciful, most Compassionate. Families in Paris, Beirut, Ankara, Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere are mourning the loss of their loved ones in atrocious terror attacks. Their eyes are blinded with tears, and their hearts are weighted by the burden of their grief. Have mercy on them, and help them cope as they process their loss. Do not place on any of us a burden greater than what we are able to bear...

Dear God. If we forget You somewhere along our way, do not forget us. It is then that we need You most. May we never lose You or our way. As your humble servants, in all of your glorious names we pray, Ameen."

-- Zainab Chaudry, Maryland Outreach Manager, Council on American Islamic Relations

"I pray for the children whose smiles are now memories;
For the mothers and fathers who will never see their sons and daughters again;
For the brothers and sisters who can no longer laugh together;
And for all of those who are now gone with the wind.
The entire world is hurting.

I pray that we realize, like always, that only love can heal our collective broken hearts. Hatred and division will only serve to create more hurt.

May we be healers. May we be lovers.

I pray that we can pick up the pieces from each and every tragedy; from France to the rest of Europe, from North America to Africa, from South America to Asia and from Australia to The Middle East; and come together, unified by our common desire for peace.

May we continue to be giving in times of tragedy. May we remain hopeful in times of despair. And may we be so courageous so as to love without hesitation in times of terror.

Vaheguru."

-- L-FRESH The LION, Sikh Hip Hop Artist

"In Hinduism, God is not above us or external to us. The same divine spirit is in every single one of us, and in all of the universe. Hurting you, hurts me; hurting one hurts all. When terrorists strike in Paris, in Beirut, in Kunduz, in Kenya, our already broken hearts shatter again and our Mother Earth weeps.

We turn to the peace-loving peoples of the world to take back their religions, their nations, our world, from those who are motivated by hatred and are wrecking our world through their unholy wars. Another world is possible, and we must build it together – through love.

Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu. (May the whole universe be happy.)"

-- Sunita Viswanath,Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus

"Blessed Mother,
Hear the cries in Beirut and the weeping in Paris,
And the screams from Raqqa.
Wrap Your Diving Mantle around the injured, the dying, the frightened, the lost.
Shield the innocent, comfort the furious.
May Your Blessed Waters bring healing.
May Your Warm Rays dry all tears.
Lift Your children in Your loving arms so they may stand tall.
May they know peace. May they be whole.
So Mote it Be."
-- Courtney Weber, Wiccan Priestess

"Jesus, you told us to love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us. It’s an audacious thing to ask of us. So we do pray for all the victims of this recent violence, but we also pray for those who are responsible for these atrocities. Give us the faith to believe they can be freed from their violence and hatred.

Dear Jesus, we know you understand evil, because you stared it in the face as you were terrorized on the cross. Give us your courage to choose love. Show us a 'third way' that is neither submission nor assault, neither passivity nor war. Help us to oppose evil without mirroring it. Help us resist our oppressors without emulating them."

-- Shane Claiborne, Red Letter Christians

"We pray for those who have lost their lives in Paris, in Beirut, in Baghdad and in the world, caused by terrorist attacks.

May we honor and remember their lives to bring peace and unity, not fear and division.

We pray for those who have lost their loved ones, houses and communities to find inner strength to overcome the challenges.

May we open our hearts and hands to help their recovery, as we are all in this together.

In these days of shock and sorrow, may we continue to develop courage and wisdom to believe in humanity and work together to build a peaceful earth community for all of us."

--- Rev. Doyeon Park, Won Buddhism of Manhattan