May the Lord free us from hatred and homicidal madness.

Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the attacks in Somalia, Afghanistan and New York, and also called for the conversion of terrorists: "May the Lord free us from hatred and homicidal madness. In addition to condemning such acts of violence, I pray for the deceased, the wounded and their family members. We ask the Lord to convert the hearts of the terrorists and to free the world from hatred and homicidal madness that abuses the name of God in order to sow death."

In the face of this madness, we are tempted to despair, to give up all hope of ending the violence. But Pope Francis urges us to do the opposite. He wants us to redouble our efforts to pray for peace and for the conversion of those who would do us radical harm. Hope, not despair, is the solution to terrorism.

Jesus, the source of all our hope, commands us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. It sounds easy enough in the abstract, but in the face of real evil everything in us resists loving our enemies!

God, you know how hard this is for us. Please grant us some small share in your boundless love and mercy.