i pray that hell is empty

ecce homo. ecce rex. ecce agnus.

Catholics around the world honor the Virgin Mary during the month of May, in a practice dating back to the 13th Century. But they are not the only faith that greatly admires the Virgin Mary – enter Islam. Built in 1908, the Shrine of Our Lady draws thousands of Muslim visitors to the religious site, located in Harissa, Lebanon.

“All of [the Muslim visitors] have a lot of respect for Lady Mary,” says Father Younen Obeid. “This respect stems directly from the Quran, the holy book of Islam, which references Mary 37 times — even more occasions than the Bible. The 19th chapter of the Quran is in fact named after Lady Mary and tells the story of her life and how she came to give birth to Jesus, though Islam does not hold the belief of Jesus’s divinity.”

Randa Youssef, a Muslim woman from Beirut, says that she likes to come to the shrine to ask for forgiveness. “I hope she listens to us so that she may give our prayers to God.“

God, turn your loving eyes towards all those who are forced to pretend to be something they're not. To all those people who are mistreated because of who they are. To those still too scared to pursue you fully because of how they've been treated by people misusing your name.

Bring your everlasting peace to those struggling with dysphoria, oppression, HIV, discrimination, homelessness, and isolation because of their LGBTQ+ identity.

(all verses are from the NRSV translation, the Anglicied Catholic edition)

Psalm 37: 7-9

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;     do not fret over those who prosper in their way,     over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.     Do not fret—it leads only to evil. For the wicked shall be cut off,     but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Psalm 121: 5-8

The Lord is your keeper;     the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day,     nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil;     he will keep your life. The Lord will keep     your going out and your coming in     from this time on and for evermore.

Psalm 147: 2-5

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;     he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the broken-hearted,     and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars;     he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;     his understanding is beyond measure.

Isaiah 43: 1-2 , 18-21

But now thus says the Lord,     he who created you, O Jacob,     he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;     I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;     and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,     and the flame shall not consume you.

Lamentations 3: 19-24

The thought of my affliction and my homelessness     is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it     and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind,     and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,     his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;     great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,     ‘therefore I will hope in him.’

John: 14: 1-3

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house, there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also."

Revelation 21: 3-6 (my absolute favorite Biblical passage ever)