A Prayer for Victims and Perpetrators

I was going to post part two of my love letter to Christopher Hitchens this week, but in light of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, I just couldn’t summon the proper spirit to write it.

I tried, but it all felt like a big “so what?“.

Especially in light of the pain the mourners in Paris must be feeling right now. The spouses, parents and children of the victims – people who heard their names called by their executioner just before God called them back home.

All I can do is offer a prayer – this one said by my ten year-old daughter as we said our devotions on the night of the tragedy.

She said, “Please help the people who did this realize how wrong they are to hurt others this way.”

I don’t think Hitch could have said it better.