India's Catholic Church remembers victims of Paris terrorist attacks

The National Eucharistic Congress of India, taking place in Mumbai, Nov. 12-15, on Saturday remembered the victims and wounded in the Paris terrorist attacks.  Cardinal Oswald Gracias, who is hosting the Eucharistic Congress in his Archdiocese of Bombay, invited the Congress delegates  from all over the country to pray for the souls of the victims, their families and loved ones, asking the Lord to fill them with strength and courage at this difficult time. He also requested that the delegates pray for them while on the day’s pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Vailankani, Uttan, north of Mumbai, and at the Eucharistic Celebration scheduled for later in the day.

Listen to the spontaneous prayer that Card. Gracias intoned after a moment of silence:

“Heavenly Father you sent your son our Lord Jesus Christ, to bring peace into the world and we in our human smallness of mind have not understood His message of love and peace, and often we destroy this peace by our own activity.  We beg your pardon Lord for this. This moment we pray for all the victims in Paris.  Those who have passed away, be merciful to them. We pray for those who are wounded, that they be healed. We pray for their relatives, friends and those giving care to them that they be strengthened and have courage to carry on their work.  We pray to you Father in heaven, to continue to pour on us the abundance of your mercy, that the hearts of all may be transformed; that we might not be agents of hatred and destruction but of peace, love and reconciliation.   Help us at this Eucharistic Congress to understand more and more the meaning of the Eucharist that Jesus gave us, and how each one of us has to become the piece of the bread to transform  others.  We make this prayer through Christ Our Lord."