[Note: This is the final prayer in a series that reflects and quotes from the Encyclical Letter Caritas In Veritate given by Pope Benedict XVI on June 29, 2009. Quotes from the letter are identified by paragraph number.]
And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:21
Thank you Lord, for encouragement in the form of a Nobel prize. Encouragement for a new vision for our country — one of a world leader that respects others, seeks to rebuild relationships of trust, accepts accountability, opens new dialogues, and believes that all countries may some day live in peace. Thank you for a president with the courage to dream and to speak out. Thank you for his patience, calm demeanor, willingness to persevere and to forgive, and his focus on future generations.
Your love, is your “promise and our hope.” Encycl. Ltr, par. 1. We are called to share that gift, to acknowledge our interdependence, to seek wisdom, to care for and about each other, and to work to establish a true sense of community with other citizens and other peoples. Encycl. Ltr 16-20. As we work through our current global economic and humanitarian crisis, we acknowledge that
[t]he different aspects of the crisis, its solutions, and any new development that the future may bring, are increasingly interconnected, they imply one another, they require new efforts of holistic understanding and a new humanistic synthesis. The complexity and gravity of the present economic situation rightly cause us concern, but we must adopt a realistic attitude as we take up with confidence and hope the new responsibilities to which we are called by the prospect of a world in need of profound cultural renewal, a world that needs to rediscover fundamental values on which to build a better future. The current crisis obliges us to re-plan our journey, to set ourselves new rules and to discover new forms of commitment, to build on positive experiences and to reject negative ones. Encycl. Ltr. par. 21.
Let us heed your call for change O Lord. Harden not our hearts. Do not let the voices of doubt, denial, and denigration silence those who are seeking and working to build a better world. Help the politics of hope and compassion overcome those of fear and domination. Give us peace in our lifetimes, O Lord.
Amen
Prayers For Our Country 