By Daniel Esparza and Tony Assaf, Aleteia, Feb 14, 2018
Dear readers, brothers in Christ, we ask you to join us in prayer in these moments.
Recent reports claim perhaps as many as 17 people were killed in today’s shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
But this is not this year’s first shooting. In fact, according the Guardian (as well as other media outlets) this is the eighth. We report that Wednesday’s attack quadrupled the death toll for 2018.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, who gave a news conference tonight, explained 12 people were killed in the school, while two more died just outside the building, one died on a road near it, and two others died in the hospital. According to CNN’s Evan Perez, a .223 caliber, AR-15 style rifle was used in the shooting. The suspect, identified as Nicolás Cruz, is a 19-year-old former student from Stoneman Douglas High School, who was expelled for disciplinary reasons.
The Arabic edition of Aleteia wrote the following prayer, for the victims, and shared it with our edition. We humbly ask you to join us.
Dear Lord
At the beginning of this blessed lent,
we raise our prayers to you.
Please, accept the souls of these innocent students,
these children of yours,
into Heaven.
On the day we mark our foreheads with ashes,
to remember that we are mortals,
these sons of yours have returned to the dust they were made of.
They died, yes,
But, as St. Francis reminds us,
“it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
Mary, our mother;
you who saw Jesus on the Cross
Help the mothers and fathers of the victims, strengthen them, give them peace.
Amen.
Dear readers, brothers in Christ, we ask you to pray with us the Lord’s Prayer and a Hail Mary for the brothers and sisters we lost today in this shooting.
Florida high school shooting: a prayer for the victims
