As a divisive campaign ends, churches offer vigils, prayer for healing
BROOKLINE — They sat in silence in the old stone church, deep in thought, the turbulence and traffic of the world outside reduced to shadows and light at play on the walls.
They prayed for the nation. They murmured a beloved psalm: I lift up my eyes to the hills/From where is my help to come? And they listened to a French Jesuit priest’s poem that ends this way: “Accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.”
The service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was part of an extraordinary 48-hour election prayer vigil called by Episcopal bishops in an effort to kindle a spirit of reconciliation at the end of an election year marked by fear and division. From noon Sunday to noon Tuesday, churches across the state decided to open their doors for parts of the days for prayer services, interfaith gatherings, and moments of quiet meditation.
“We must pray for a peaceful transition, no matter the outcome of our elections,” the Episcopal bishops of Massachusetts said in a statement announcing the vigils. “We must pray that the demonization of one another’s opponents which has characterized this election not be further stoked by its outcome. We must pray that all those elected on that day be moved, strengthened, and guided by the Spirit, to lead us through fractious and dangerous times.”
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