"He is here, he is not silent." (Photo: Paris - Thursday, January 8, 2015 - 6:30am Photo by Dan Kitwood)
In this darkest of weeks, where so many people have been killed in France, Nigeria and Yemen our hearts go out to the survivors, family and friends. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Our hope is that you, too, will know a comfort and strength you have never known before as you weep and grieve for those who have died.
For many of us, we have looked on at these event with unbelief. It would be easy, given the extensive coverage in print, broadcast and online media to be overwhelmed by these stories.
How can we even begin to make any sense of what has happened?
There are already some interesting 'voices' which I have come across. The first is a pictorial piece from cartoonist Joe Sacco 'On Satire – a response to the Charlie Hebdo attacks' - warning! this link may not be for the easily offended! A rather longer piece comes from OMID SAFI - Director of Duke University's Islamic Studies Center. He is the past Chair for the Study of Islam, and the current Chair for Islamic Mysticism Group at the American Academy of Religion. '9 Points to Ponder on the Paris Shooting and Charlie Hebdo'
He writes: "As a person of faith, times like these try my soul. Times like these are precisely when we need to turn to our faith. We turn inward, not because the answers are easy, but because not turning inward is unthinkable in moments of crisis."
Please follow these links to aid your thoughts and prayers.