A Prayer in the Shadow of Violence

God of peace and life,

Yet again we come before you, mourning the loss of our sisters and brothers, our children and parents, our friends and neighbors. We ask for your blessing upon the people killed in Buffalo, Los Angeles, and Uvalde. Fill with your consoling presence those who now grieve the loss of family members, co-workers, children, and friends. May the members of these communities and all communities confronting violence and tragic loss find strength in each other and in the hope that justice and peace will soon become reality. For our elected leaders, we pray they will find the courage to pursue just and lasting solutions to the violence that ails and assails us. For each of us, we also pray that we might commit our efforts to creating a society that inspires in its citizens compassion rather than violence, understanding rather than hatred, and a love and solidarity that affirms the life and promotes the dignity of all. We pray in the name of the God who is the source of our life and dignity. Amen.

Prayer

Faithful God,

The pressures and challenges of the past few years have tested our faith in life. Many of us are exhausted, no matter how much we have tried to adjust to life’s current. The deluge has just been too much. We ask that today, you give reason for hope and joy once again. For all of us, give us vision to see how faithful you have been to bring us this far. Remind us that we are in this together with you and each other. Revive us in our common purpose and our faith in this life we have chosen—extending your healing to all. Amen.

Prayer

God of love,

We long to be happy. Some of us desire happiness so desperately that we grasp at it fitfully, wasting our time by chasing illusions. Yet saints and sages alike have taught us the pathway to happiness is inseparable from a life lived on purpose, in step with the mission to which you have called us. Give us fortitude and resilience to follow your calling and respond to our vocation. May we dedicate ourselves to discovering our purpose and pursuing it with all our strength and conviction. For the joy set before us and the promise of true happiness, we pray. Amen.

Prayer

Love in Action,

We will forever be grateful for the love you have poured out for humanity. May we always remember that to abide in your love never means less than showing compassion for others in this one human family, in real and tangible ways. Your love should inspire us to clothe the naked, liberate the oppressed, advocate for the weak, and heal those who are sick. Help us embody your love today in these ways. Let those who have extra share with those who have less and may we all draw closer to you by drawing close to those most in need of compassion. Amen.

Prayer

God of peace,

We tend to think of peace as a day without fighting. Yet the death and resurrection of your son Jesus have won for us a peace beyond all understanding. It transforms the world, effecting forgiveness within and between us, and healing the wounds of injustice. May we receive this peace today in our hearts and be willing to extend it through all we say and do. Whether it is our work at the bedside, the interventions we perform, our routine interactions at desks, in the lab, on the phone, in the café, wherever we happen to be serving today, help us be agents of peace, uplifting the dignity of everyone we encounter and serving the good of all. Amen.

Prayer

God our defender,

Recent events have put a spotlight on the awesome and awful responsibilities of the world’s military forces. For good and for ill, brothers and sisters are engaged in missions that transcend them, and for which their lives are already pledged. As we consider our own incredible blessings here in this nation, we give thanks and pray for all those who have devoted their lives to protecting and defending our freedom, peace, and security. May we never take them for granted. May we never forget the burden of responsibility they willingly carry for the sake of us all. Amen.

Prayer

God who knows our experience,

There is a vast distance between the way things are and the way they should be. We see the evils around us and we long for justice, weeping at all that is broken. Yet with deeply felt joy we laugh as well, when wrongs are put right, justice is served, and the good finally wins. It is comforting to remember that you have felt all this, too, that you walked in our shoes, weeping and laughing in the same ways we do. Help us, then, to follow the example you left us, that we might bring more of what ought to be into what is. May our mourning be turned into laughter today. Amen.