Compiled by Hentzi Elek | July 19, 2016
From our prayer book:
A Collect for Peace | Page 99
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
For Social Justice | Page 823
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
A Prayer Attributed to St. Francis | Page 833
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
For Those Who Would Like to Be President
Gracious God, we lift before you Donald, Hillary, and all would like to be our next President as well as their advisors. Fill them with tremendous humility and courage. Make them passionate for truth and wisdom. Instill in them compassion, justice, patience, and perspective. Remind them that their actions and words impact not just our nation but our entire world. Remind them that their action and inaction affects generations to come and the welfare of this fragile planet, our island home. In Your Name, we pray, Amen.
For Conversation
Gracious God, grant us the wisdom to listen, to learn, and to be changed as necessary. When it is our time, may we speak, not holding back the words you would have us share. May those who need to hear be open to what we have to say. Bless us with the fortitude to hear hard truths about the lives of others and our impact on
them. Grant them and us the grace to take words and actions not as an immutable description of our character but rather as a dynamic opportunity for new life.
For the Victims of Violence
Gracious God heal all who suffer from any violence of body, mind, or spirit. Bind up their wounds. Restore their resilience. Give them patience and confidence in their healing. Bless all medical and counseling professionals who care for the wounded. Bless the families and loved ones. Bless those who have been killed and those who mourn.
For Those Who Cause Violence
Gracious God, change the hearts and actions of all who commit violence. Give them the spirit of compassion, the vision of clarity, the freedom of thought, and the power of forgiveness they need to say NO to all that is dangerous and destructive. Bring into their lives those who can thwart their violent ways. In Your Name, we Pray, Amen.
For Police Officers
Gracious God, bless and protect all police officers. Keep them safe and out of harm’s way. Give them the creativity, the resilience, the patience, and the adaptive perspective to stay connected but not anxious in threatening and dangerous situations. Give them the intuition, judgment, and training they need to be proactive and reactive with wisdom and compassion. Make our citizens and our government proud and supportive of the courage and sacrifices of our police officers. In Your Name, we pray, Amen.
Prayers to Fight Racism and to Celebrate the Holiness of All
Source: SistersOfMercy.org and used by them from NCCJ “Denouncing Racism.”
Good and gracious God, you invite us to recognize and reverence your divine image and
likeness in our neighbor. Enable us to see the reality of racism and free us to challenge and uproot it from our society, our world and ourselves.
This we pray: Amen
Good and gracious God, Who loves and delights in all people, we stand in awe before You, knowing that the spark of life within each person on earth is the spark of your divine life.
Differences among cultures and races are multicolored manifestations of Your Light.
May our hearts and minds be open to celebrate similarities and differences among our sisters and brothers.
We place our hopes for racial harmony in our committed action and in Your Presence in our Neighbor.
May all peoples live in Peace.
Amen.