We pray for those affected by terrorist attacks around the world, and especially those in London on the 7th July 2005.
We pray for the families who have lost loved ones.
We pray for the fire, police and ambulance staff on the scene.
We pray for the doctors and nurses caring for the hurting.
We pray for the reporters who work through intense emotion to bring us the pictures and news of the day.
We pray for the our elected leaders who so desperately need wisdom from beyond themselves.
We pray for the clergy in London who care first-hand for the spiritual needs of those who have experienced this great tragedy.
We pray for the military and intelligence agencies who seek to find out who would do this so they might be brought to justice.
We pray for our nation -- that this event will bring us together and turn our thoughts toward helping each other to overcome the threat of terrorism.
We pray for all those who might be tempted to think that violence accomplishes anything of lasting value.
Lastly, We pray for every peace lover in this world.
May God break the cycle of violence to make a difference for His Peace and Grace in this sinful world.
Amen.
Fr. S 2005
We pray,
O God,
for all Christians, Muslims, Hindus or Jews
whose hearts are consumed
by a zeal that has hardened them;
all
whose vision is partial,
whose mind is narrowed,
whose perceptions are simplified,
whose soul is poisoned.
And yet,
O God,
we read of Jesus that
‘zeal for your house consumed him’.
His life teaches us that
without the zeal of a burning love for you
that will endure through
the night-time of our enmities
we shall not see your kingdom come.
So we ask,
O God,
that you give us
a zeal that insists on acceptance
a commitment that endures in non-violence
and a patience that works for your coming;
and teach us to hate
only our tribalism and prejudice
which separate us
from those different to us.
We ask it in the name of the Prince of Peace,
Jesus Christ
Our Lord,
Amen.
(Patrick Woodhouse: With you is the well of life, Kevin Mayhew 2005)
God the Father,
All have mercy upon us.
God the Son,
All have mercy upon us.
God the Holy Spirit,
All have mercy upon us.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity,
All have mercy upon us.
By your holy incarnation, by your cross and passion,
by your precious death and burial,
All have mercy upon us.
By your glorious resurrection and ascension,
and by the coming of the Holy Spirit,
All have mercy upon us.
Graciously hear us, Lord Jesus Christ,
that it may please you to deliver your servants from all evil
and from eternal death,
All hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you mercifully to pardon all their sins,
All hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to give them peace, rest and gladness,
raising them to new life in your kingdom,
All hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to bring us, with Our Blesséd Lady and all your saints,
to a joyful resurrection,
All hear us, good Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
All hear us, good Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
All hear us, good Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
All hear us, good Lord.
All In darkness and in light,
in trouble and in joy,
help us, O God, to trust your love,
to seek your purpose,
and to praise your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God of mercy, bless all who live in the face of acts of terrorism. Grant them courage to go about their daily living. Give them hope that one day the hostility will cease. Guard the defenseless, especially the children and the elderly, the infirm and the weak. Bring peace to their homes and faith in their hearts. Amen.
For the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer attributed to St. Francis
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.
In Times of Conflict
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Guidance
O God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will always lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. There fore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
(from Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton Monk of Gethsemene Abbey, Kentucky, d. 1968)
For Guidance
O, God, help us to pray and concentrate our thoughts on you. We cannot do this alone. In us there is darkness, but in you there is light. We are lonely, but you leave us not. We are feeble in heart, but with you there is peace. In us there is bitterness, but with you there is patience. We do not understand your ways, but you know the way for us. Help us, O God. Amen.
(adapted from a prayer for his fellow prisoners Dietrich Bonhoeffer German Lutheran pastor killed by the Nazis, 1945)
For our Enemies
O God, the Father of all, you command us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth: deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Our Leaders and Our Nation
O God our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth. Lord, keep this nation under your care. Amen.
For those in the Armed Forces of our Country
O God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For those who Influence Public Opinion
O God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many voices: Direct, in our time, we pray, those who speak where many listen and write what many read; that they may do their part in making the heart of this people wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Diversity of Races and Cultures
O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world. Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship, and show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer in Terrible Times
We give thanks to you, O God, even for this terrible time, but only because we trust that you are in it, working for the good of us all and sanctifying to us our deepest distress. Amen.
(from Rediscovering New Testament Prayer by John Koenig)
Night Prayers
Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, O God; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
Jesus said: “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.”
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