Prayer for an End to Violence, War and Death
BY JAMES HUG S.J | July 20, 2014
O Loving God,
We so often, and for so long, hear the guns and rockets, drones and bombs
We see the pictures of death in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Congo, Nigeria, Sudan and South Sudan, Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, Central African Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, etc…
Wrap all and each of these your people in your love.
Let them hear: “Come to me you who suffer
and are burdened and I will give you rest.”
In these few months of 2014, we have heard the weapons and seen the blood of mass shootings and gang violence…
In Los Angeles and Detroit, Minneapolis and Miami, in Denver and in 138 other cities, towns and villages across our nation.
Wrap all and each of these your people in your love.
Let them hear: “Come to me you who suffer
and are burdened and I will give you rest.”
The bombs are exploding again in Gaza and Israel.
Wrap all and each of these your people in your love.
Let them hear: “Come to me you who suffer
and are burdened and I will give you rest.”
Violence continues hidden in so many homes and families around the world – and the abuse of innocent children….
Wrap all and each of these your people in your love.
Let them hear: “Come to me you who suffer
and are burdened and I will give you rest.”
In so many parts of the world today, the air is tense with
Waiting, uncertainty, insecurity.
From ravaged lands, destroyed by war, Your peoples lift their hands to you.
We pray for stillness, for justice, and for peace to come and to last. We fear that they will not.
Wrap all and each of these your people in your love.
Let them hear: “Come to me you who suffer
and are burdened and I will give you rest.”
O God, our maker, God of Abraham and Sarah, from which three great religions stemmed. We pray for peace.
We pray for peaceful existence between Israelis and Palestinians, Sunnis and Shiites, Muslims, Jews and Christians.
We pray negotiations which can reach the roots of historical conflicts.
We pray for a commitment to human rights by all sides and the protection of all lives.
We pray for effective international intervention to ensure justice for all sides.
We pray for humanitarian aid and rebuilding where destruction has occurred.
We pray for peace and for justice in our homes and on our city streets.
Wrap all and each of these your people in your love.
Let them hear: “Come to me you who suffer
and are burdened and I will give you rest.”
We pray for an end to violence, war and death.
Grant us this, peaceful God. Grant us a peaceful world.
Amen.
James E. Hug, S.J., has a long history working in social ethics and social justice advocacy in the Catholic community. He served 24 years as the President of the Center of Concern, a Washington, DC based social justice institute rooted in Catholic social tradition, working for greater economic, social, and ecological justice globally. He holds a doctoral degree in Christian ethics from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in Christian spirituality from St. Louis University.
Fr. Hug’s research has focused on issues of faith and economic justice and he has lectured and directed workshops throughout the U.S. and in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Currently he serves as sacramental minister for the Adrian Dominican Sisters and writes on issues of spirituality for social transformation in these difficult times. His blog, “Truth that does Justice,” can be found on the website for the Dominican Center: Spirituality for Mission, www.dominicancenter.org.
Past publications have included Catholic Social Teaching: Our Best Kept Secret, Social Revelation: Profound Challenge for Christian Spirituality, and Tracing the Spirit: Communities, Social Action, and Theological Reflection. Jim has also written chapters for Globalization and Catholic Social Thought: Present Crisis, Future Hope and The Pastoral Circle Revisited: A Critical Quest for Truth and Transformation.
Fr. Hug’s research has focused on issues of faith and economic justice and her has lectured and directed workshops throughout the U.S. and in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. He was the editor of the Center of Concern’s “Catholic Social Teaching: Our Best Kept Secret, author of Social Revelation: Profound Challenge for Christian Spirituality,” and the editor of “Tracing the Spirit: Communities, Social Action, and Theological Reflection.” Jim has also written chapters for “Globalization and Catholic Social Thought: Present Crisis, Future Hope” and “The Pastoral Circle Revisited: A Critical Quest for Truth and Transformation.”
We all need to pray to stop this violence around the world,an learn to love one another.
Amen
Pray? The reason for almost every war is religion. My sky genie is better than your sky genie. I believe you meant well; but its religion thats the reason of these wars. For example the dark ages isnt named that because it was cloudy. The Indian killings on the American continent was because they refused to convert to your god. Do away with religion majority of these wars where my Brothers and Sisters died, you do away a reason to fight because most Americans hate Allah and Muslims hate Blond haired blue eyed baby Jesus
Amen
amen. truly its peace in our world that we need.
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