Like so many over the past week, I have been left shocked and saddened by the tragic murder of Sarah Everard. No words can begin to express what her loved ones are going through at the moment, and attempts to offer comfort feel hollow. It is impossible to make sense of such atrocities, and faith struggles at such a time to say anything meaningful. My heart goes out to Sarah’s family in the immensity of their loss, and to women everywhere who feel shaken by her death.
Totally inadequate though it is, today then I offer a prayer for women, conscious of all that so many have to face.
A prayer for women
For women who are vulnerable,
who feel powerless,
denied a voice,
Lord, we pray.
For women who are stalked,
persecuted,
abused,
Lord, we pray.
For women who are mistreated,
exploited,
objectivised,
Lord, we pray.
For women who are discriminated against,
patronised,
dismissed as irrelevant,
Lord, we pray.
For women who have been threatened,
abused,
raped,
Lord, we pray.
For women who live each day in fear,
who have been left traumatised,
haunted by experiences they have been through,
Lord, we pray.
For women who feel trapped,
stuck in relationships from which there is no escape,
condemned to a never-ending nightmare,
Lord, we pray.
For women who feel unsafe on the streets at night,
who wonder if they can trust strangers,
who worry about what dangers may confront them,
Lord, we pray.
For women who have been betrayed,
taken for granted,
left feeling they can never trust a man again,
Lord, we pray.
And above all today,
for women who have become victims –
prey to lust,
depravity,
obscenity –
and for those left broken and numbed by their loss,
Lord, we pray.
Amen.