Prayers for Orlando: Statement from New Jersey bishop

Posted Jun 13, 2016

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation, but worldly grief produces death….
2 Corinthians 7:10

The shooting in Orlando this past Sunday was the largest mass shooting in the history of this nation. It was a terrorist act and a hate crime directed specifically at members of the LGBTQ community. It was also directed against all of us as a nation. In every way, the act was repugnant, despicable and is to be denounced.

As Christians, our first duty is to grieve over the loss of so many. We are to pray for the victims, their families and their loved ones. Many are still fighting for their lives in area hospitals. Families are still waiting to hear if their loved ones are among the dead. Images on television yesterday, of a mother lamenting her son, still not knowing his fate, are seared into my memory. This grief is not abstract, it is real. That these acts of violence come with such frequency cannot numb us from seeing the real human beings who are victims. They are our brothers and sisters. They are our sons and daughters. They are our mothers and fathers. They are our friends. They are us.

We must also grieve at the sinfulness of this nation. Our political leadership, gun manufacturers, the National Rifle Association and other gun lobbyists continue to enable and empower acts of mass violence through their failure to address the easy access so many have to guns. Yesterday’s shooting was a clear example of this failure. I will continue my active participation in Bishops United Against Gun Violence and partner with others to work for sensible gun laws in this country.

Sadly, the response of many yesterday was to answer hatred with hatred. Anti-Muslim rhetoric filled social media and the news. As Christians, called upon by our Baptismal Covenant to “seek and serve Christ in all persons” and “to respect the dignity of every human being” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305), we must always reject such hatred and sweeping generalizations. The act of the gunman yesterday was the product of a twisted ideology that distorts Islamic teaching. I encourage all of us to become more knowledgeable about Islam and for our churches to increase their efforts to build relationships with members of the Islamic community.

Yesterday, there was great support on social media for the victims of the Orlando shootings as well as for the LGBTQ community. We have come a long way in this nation and in our church in terms of our acceptance and embrace of persons with diverse sexual identities. Yesterday called for us to be in solidarity with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

There was, however, an ugly shadow side on social media in the wake of the Orlando shootings. Abhorrent statements against LGBTQ persons were posted. Hatred and prejudice against LGBTQ persons continue to plague us as a society. It was this kind of hatred and prejudice that apparently fueled Omar Mateen, motivating him to purchase a semi-automatic rifle and handgun, drive to Orlando, murder 49 persons and wound more than 50 others. Violence against, and persecution of, LGBTQ persons is a reality in our nation and around the world. I am grateful to be part of a church that stands with LGBTQ persons and pledge my support of them against ignorance, prejudice and persecution.

Hatred in any form is anathema to Christian sensibility.  Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Matthew 22:37-39)

These were not suggestions.  They were commandments.

May we all do the disciplined and difficult work of living into these commandments as we continue to pray for the victims of the Orlando shootings, their families and loved ones.

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The Right Reverend William H. Stokes
Bishop of New Jersey


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