Is this something you could do? Is this something you do already? Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. St Paul told us to bless our persecutors-- "bless and do not curse". I read the article linked here: https://americananglican.org/current-news/pray-terrorists/. And I confess that praying for ISIS was not something I have been doing, and not something I feel comfortable doing, and I stand corrected. God loves us all and calls us to love each other. There was a time when I was lost and hated those Christians who thought they had found the key to life. There have been times when I hurt others and did so willfully. There have been times when I hurt those I love. And yet God did not give up on me. Neither did those I hurt, at least, not all of them. The truth is, at a heart level, terrorists are no worse than I am. Though I have not done any of the heinous act of remorseless violence that terrorists regularly inflict on those they target, it is not because I am, by nature, any less depraved than they. It is only because if the Grace of God that prevents me. I was born just as sinsick, just as bent towards evil. God found me, cleaned me up, and made me his adopted child despite all my flaws. And he's done the same for you. Let's pray he does so for the members of ISIS. You see, the amazing thing about prayer is that it can penetrate even where bullets and bombs cannot. Prayer can heal those who are hurting. Prayer can heal those that hurt others. We are not waging war with people, but with principalities. And our weapons, as Christians, are love, truth, and prayer. So...Tonight when go to bed and pray and give thanks to God for all his blessings, I will remember to pray for the victims of terrorism. But I will also pray for the perpetrators of terrorism that God would forgive them, that he would turn them from evil to good, that they would be freed from the bondage of Satan and would no longer hurt others. I will lastly pray for myself that God would grant me the grace to love my enemies--even ISIS-- and to bless them . Bless and do not curse. And that I would be given the grace to see Christ in every person, even those who do evil. Lord, lead me to the place where I can love all of my neighbors as myself and teach me that, since no one is beyond GOd's love and mercy, no matter what they've done, then they cannot be beyond mine. Amen. Lord have mercy.
I pray for ISIS, that they may find Christ but, I realise that I'm safe home , with not a lifetime in front of me and neither am I involved, either with the group or with the people who they have hurt so intensely. If I or my friends had suffered personal loss it might be different. I don't know! As a child, I suffered the loss of a much loved father in 1940! I have prayed for forgiveness for who was responsible ever since!
Pray for them everyday. Not just for them, but all terrorist groups. So that God the Father may pour out his Holy Spirit upon them. So that they may turn from their evils ways, and seek the Lord Jesus Christ. So that this may be accomplished for them, I say one Our Father, and one Hail Mary for them. Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our deaths. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Nomi Patris, Et Fili, Et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
If you guys have not noticed... I suck at spelling as I always spell "Nomine" wrong... LOL! I don't know why I do that... Lol.... *face palm on my behalf*
When I passed the exams for English when I was a youth, my Mam, used to say ,'that my aunts must have been amongst the examiners.' I always appreciated them after that!
Then your spelling wouldn't have made any difference to me! I learnt some gaelic or Erse when I was about 14, but since then have struggled with English!
One day I'll study Greek and Hebrew. One day! But I'm thankful for the classical education I received: a decade of Latin, a few years of Italian, and a couple years of Anglo-Saxon. One gets so stuck on Beowulf, and then other poets, and then the Chronicle, and then Tolkien for so long it's difficult to move on!