We await O Lord, your justice.
The promise that our mourning will end,
Our fighting will cease,
And both the oppressed and oppressor will be freed to a new way,
A way of compassion, of truth, of caring and love.
And we rejoice in the knowledge that the time for justice will come. Is. 25:9.
Amen
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call. Acts 2:39
Lord, at a time when one out of six children in the United States live in poverty, and over 30% of US children are projected to live in poverty at some point in their lives, please bless our children. Bless those who live in the projects and tenements of our cities and the more than 50% who live outside of major cities in trailers, in cars, and in substandard housing. Bless and help the parents who struggle to feed them and to find them shelter. Bless the volunteers who fill weekend backpacks, donate clothes and food, and provide mentoring and friendship to children in need. As our children grow, help them stay in school, find funds for the education they need, get jobs, and develop the habits that will allow them to be financially self-sufficient. Do not let the sins of this generation imperil their future. Give all of our children hope, and save them, O Lord.
Amen
[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 