06/13/2026
Day 8 - Saturday, June 13th, 2026
Pray: Novena Against Gun Violence by Michele Bisaillon, DHS
Loving God, You created for us a world of beauty, order, and endless possibilities. But today, ours is a world often in chaos: war, famine, drought, so many “isms,” and a lack of respect for life and for one another. In this country, we face these issues day after day. One of these is uppermost in our minds these days—the horror of gun violence which continues to ravage our nation, our society, our people,
even the youngest of our children. Spirit God, we give you all names: Holy, Sanctifier, Paraclete, Advocate. Yet you are so much more: Challenger, Nudger, whirling Wind and engulfing Fire, Mover, Enabler, Lover, Breath of Life. Be that for us, we pray. Instill in us your gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, reverence and awe. Pentecost us. Enable us to be as daring as the newly inspired apostles—to be bold in our defense of the right of all persons to feel safe wherever we are, unafraid of being forever silenced by those who are armed with weapons and anger and sometimes even hatred. Give us the courage to speak the Word. Give us the audacity to take the actions needed to end this needless violence.
In the name of our Creator God, in the name of the Word of Life, and
in the name of the Fire of Love. Amen.
Reflect:
While a few are well publicized, Everytown reports that “more than 25,000 hate crimes in the US involve a firearm—69 a day.” According to FBI data from 2022, “the vast majority of reported hate crimes are directed against communities of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ+ people.” One problem is that most misdemeanors, including hate crime misdemeanors, do not prohibit gun possession creating a loophole where people can still access guns even with a hate crime conviction. (Source: Everytown Research & Policy)
