Monday, March 19, 2012

A Pause in Lent - please pray for Toulouse

I'm back from my blogging break and had some ideas about the Cardinal Virtues but I feel that today the only thing I should blog about is the tragic shootings in Toulouse.
We live in a market town outside the city but we go to a metropolitan church right in the city centre, not far from where the first shooting (of an off-duty soldier) occured two Sundays ago. Last week three uniformed soldiers were shot and this morning a teacher and three children have been killed outside a Jewish school.We don't really fear for ourselves but the tragedy in our own home area is hard to accept. I've already forwarded one kind, prayerful email (sent by a blogging friend in the USA) to our pastor, as he and his wife will definitely be more affected by all this than we are. Schools and religious buildings are being urged to increase security. The soldiers who died were all of North African or Caribbean ancestry and the latest victims, Jewish. It's impossible to tell if there is a racist, 'religious' or other type of motive, or even if the latest killings are connected to the earlier ones. But shootings like this are not really known in France and we are sad, confused, alarmed and disturbed.

13 comments:

Jane and Chris said...

I'll pray for Toulouse.
Take care
Jane x

VintageVicki said...

I saw this on the lunchtime news and immediately thought of you.

Keep strong Toulouse and I hope this person is caught very soon.

Elizabethd said...

It is very sad. We have just been watching it on the news. As you say, it is unusual to see this sort of thing happening in France. Praying for the families.

Carol said...

I'm joining the prayers for Toulouse, this is just unbelievably sad. Those poor soldiers, the little children and the bereaved families, hearbreaking. How can someone do such a thing?
Hope they catch them very quickly.
Carol xx

Scarlet said...

I heard this on the car radio this morning and immediately thought of you.Toulouse is very much in my thoughts.

Dormouse85 said...

This is indeed tragic. The world is truly a broken, hurting place. My prayers are for those affected by these terrible events.

Dormouse85 said...

Sorry...dormouse 85 is ordinary Dormouse ( or even fat dormouse ) ending up with multiple accounts because she doesn't know what she's doing!

Unknown said...

Hadn't heard about this, will pray for Toulouse.

Sarah - Red Gingham said...

I popped on here as soon as I heard the awful news. Yes it's even travelled over to NZ! So glad you are all fine, but very sad for those families who have lost someone special.
Thank you for letting us know you are fine. xx

Anonymous said...

This has been on my heart all day. Toulouse is in my prayers, all the families are in my prayers. Be strong.

Frances said...

Such violence is horrid in any part of the world. It is so difficult to truly understand how anyone would engage in such assaults.

We know that human beings have done horrible things to each other over the centuries.

Let us all hope, and pray, that we all might learn more about how to support each other.

xo

scrumptious days said...

My thoughts are particularly with the poor woman who sent her husband and two children off to school in the morning. The lives of so many people are shattered by such random dreadful hatred.
Thinking of all in Toulouse at this time.
God Bless Jude x

Unknown said...

I've been praying since I heard the news on the radio about the school shootings. I didn't realise it was in your area of the country.