Power of Prayer

The explosions at the Boston Marathon has shocked all of us. It is such a horrific and senseless tragedy. Our response is to pray. Tertullian, a second century writer and theologian, says that prayer is "an offering that belongs to God and is acceptable to him" and "is the one thing that can conquer God. But Christ has willed that it should work no evil, and has given it all power over good" (from the treatise On Prayer). Cardinal Bertone expressed the concern of Pope Francis this way in a telegram to Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, "At this time of mourning the Holy Father prays that all Bostonians will be united in a resolve not to be overcome by evil, but to combat evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21), working together to build an ever more just, free and secure society for generations yet to come.” 
We pray for the repose of all those souls who have died and for their family and friends. We pray for those who are injured. We also pray for those individuals or groups who were responsible for this crime that they might repent of the evil they have done and turn to Christ for forgiveness.