O Lord, help us to remember in this Passion week, as we witness darkness and death in the world around us, that by following God’s will into the darkness you brought us the light of your resurrection.
Draw us towards your love O Lord, towards hope, and towards the discipline of faith, that we may find a new life, and new way, in you. Amen
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
Lord, thank you for the love, forgiveness, and mercy shown by the survivors at Emanuel A.M.E. Church and for the witness they have given in the face of hate. Thank you for the politicians who departed from the usual patterns of division and denial to speak up and out in support of their brothers and sisters in faith.
As James Russell Lowell, observed in 1845*,
To us all, to every nation comes the moment to decide,
in the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side;
Let us choose good O Lord.
[N]ew occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth; they must upward still and onward, who would keep abreast of truth.
Let us move forward O Lord, guided by your grace. Help us to learn new ways.
Heal our hates O Lord. Help us live in peace with one another (Romans 12:18).
Amen.
* Quotes from poem printed as the hymn, “To Us All, to Every Nation”, v. 1 and 2, Chalice Hymnal #634.
O God, you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on you . . . Isaiah 26:3
On this 13th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, we pray for an end to hate and violence throughout our world. We remember and pray for those who died in the attacks, that they might be at peace with you. We pray for their families and friends, that in their grieving they may find the peace which transcends all understanding. [Php.4:7] And we pray for all who remain in our unstable and violent world, that we may find new ways of living together.
We pray for peace O God.
O God, our creator, 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 guide us as we work through our struggle and confusion. [#3]*
We pray for peace O God.
O Lord you have commanded 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. [#6]
We pray for peace O God.
Give us the grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, hurt and anger, and whatever else may hinder us from peaceful union and concord. Help us to seek the holy bonds of truth and peace, of compassion and charity. [#14]
We pray for peace O God.
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom all nations and people work in harmony, guide us in love. [#3, 4] Lead us from dissension, factions and selfish ambitions to a world abundant in the fruits of your Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. [Galatians 5:19-26] Guide all the nations, — and each of us as individuals in our interactions with family, neighbors, and community, — into the ways of justice and truth, peace and love. [5]
Grant us peace O God.
* Adapted in part from The Book of Common Prayer, “Prayers and Thanksgivings”, No.s 3 -6, 14.
If you have understanding hear this; listen to what I say. Can he who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One? Job 34: 16-17
. . . O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. Is. 3:12
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray . . . 1 John 3:7
Lord, when political parties require “loyalty oaths” which they seek to enforce regardless of a representative’s conscience, hear our cry for freedom.
Lord, when money decides who can run and what views the voter hears, hear our cry for truth.
Lord, when power and celebrity are the guiding forces of many who would seek to govern, raise up stewards of the public good.
Lord, when the noise and fear and confusion threaten to overwhelm us, grant us the wisdom to find our way.
We put our trust in you, O Lord, as we look to build a better future.
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
[Note: This prayer, like those of the last two weeks, 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.]
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:13
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
Lord forgive us for selfish ambition and the myth of the self made man.
The conviction that man is self-sufficient and can successfully eliminate the evil present in history by his own action alone has led him to confuse happiness and salvation with immanent forms of material prosperity and social action. . . . In the long term, these convictions have led to economic, social and political systems that trample upon personal and social freedom, and are therefore unable to deliver the justice that they promise. (Encycl. Ltr, par. 34)
Forgive us for times when pride replaces compassion, and fear of our own loss prevents the action that could help us all now and in the future. Help us to practice the “ties that bind”: acceptance, caring, generosity, and mutual accountability. Give us the political will to counter the most destructive aspects of markets and to correct their malfunctions, recognizing that
. . . grave imbalances are produced when economic action, conceived merely as an engine for wealth creation, is detached from political action, conceived as a means for pursuing justice through redistribution. (Encycl. Ltr, par. 36).
Give us the compassion, love, and wisdom needed to create new jobs and provide other assistance that will prevent families and children from living in poverty, unable to meet their basic needs. Give us the faith and insight to invest in the educational institutions and scholarships needed to help all of our youth fulfill their potential. Let us find the funds to provide basic care to all who are sick, injured or dying.
Help us to see that all we have comes from you, and that as stewards, it is our responsibility, both individually and collectively, “To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly” with you O God. Micah 6:8.
Give us courage, and lead us forward, O Lord.
Amen.
[Note: this prayer, like last week’s prayer, 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.]
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 1 Cor. 13:6
Lord, your love is the truth you ask us to accept and share with others. (John 15:12). Help us to follow your command as we work to reform our economy and allocate our resources. As the Encyclical Letter states: “The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly —not any ethics whatsoever, but an ethics which is peopled-centred.” (Encycl. Ltr, par 45). Do not let us be misled by blind faith in “markets”. Instead, give us the political will to set the boundaries needed to ensure that our markets function in ways to that do not unjustly enrich the few at the cost of impoverishing many. The Encyclical Letter also warns that:
The risk of our time is that the de facto interdependence of people and nations is not matched by ethical interaction of consciences and minds that would give rise to truly human development. Only in charity, illumined by the light of reason and faith, is it possible to pursue development goals that possess a more humane and humanizing value. (Encycl. Ltr, par. 9).
Do not let us be misled again by undue reliance on the science of economics and mathematical calculations that fail to account for human fears and costs. Help us instead to identify and analyze what would best promote the common good, and to accept responsibility for improving the lives of those who have suffered greatly as a result of our past failures, both economic and political. Help us to recognize our interdependence and accept that each of our fates – whether rich or poor or in between — are intertwined. Let us recognize that our wealth as individuals and as a nation depends on our genuinely caring for and helping each other, especially those who now struggle day to day simply to survive. Guide us O Lord, and move us forward.
Amen
[Note: this prayer reflects and quotes from the Encyclical Letter Caritas In Veritate given in Rome by Pope Benedict XVI on June 29, 2009. This letter is addressed not only to the Catholic Church, but also to “all people of good will” and expands on the following statement, made in the opening paragraph: “Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity.” Quotes from the letter are identified by paragraph number.]
Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mt. 22:37-39
Lord, our economy is said to be growing stronger, although many remain without work and jobs continue to be lost. Regulatory reforms that would help stabilize and strengthen our monetary systems have stalled. The economic and social inequalities which increased in past decades continue, and the political will to provide remedies or relief has not been found. The Encyclical Letter warns us that:
The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner, and that we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone. . . . Through the systemic increase of social inequality, . . . not only does social cohesion suffer, thereby placing democracy at risk, but so too does the economy, through the progressive erosion of “social capital”: the network of relationships of trust, dependability, and respect for rules, all of which are indispensable for any form of civil coexistence. (Encyl. Ltr, par. 32)
Let us heed this warning O Lord. Do not let us ignore or accept the erosion of trust, the decline in civility, and the lack of accountability, that permeate our civic life. Help us find the path forward and build better foundations for our future life together. As we seek to reform our financial system, remind us, O Lord, as the Encyclical Letter does, “that the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued is man, the human person in his or her integrity. . .” (Encyl. Ltr, par. 25).
Help us to care for one another, to reach out, to share, and to trust that our lives will be better for it. Help us to preserve and develop all of our people, that each their lives, and our life together, may better reflect your love and your grace. Help us, O Lord.
Amen
“You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.” Ps. 52:3
“So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.” Is. 59:14-15
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor for we are all members of one body.” Eph. 4:25
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
We review the life of Walter Cronkite with words like “honest”,”truthful”, and “integrity”, and we mourn for the loss of voices we can trust. As news and entertainment media have merged, we focus more on reports of the personal and petty than on understanding and working through the larger issues of our day. The difficulty of those issues is minimized, and understanding undermined, as efforts are made to assign “winners” and “losers” within each 24 hour news cycle. Words that serve more to inflame than to inform are repeated over and over. Isolated “facts” and “statistics” devoid of context are cited with breathless speculation of potential adverse consequences. The constant stream of information confuses and overwhelms. Efforts to address inequalities and injustice are slowed or stalled.
Strengthen us O Lord to seek your truth. Help us to speak truthfully to one another, moving beyond a war of data and slogans to an authentic sharing of experience, values, and knowledge. Help us to listen to one another with respect and care. And keep us focused on the great needs before us.
Redeem us O Lord, God of Truth (Ps. 31:5), and help us to find a better path.
Amen
Prayers For Our Country 