Today: Peace One Day; Prayers for Peace

Today is the United Nations Peace One Day -- a day of ceasefire, a day to pause, a day to pray, a day to stop sniping with bullets and words, as our Associate Rector Ann Willms reminded us Sunday in a hugely powerful sermon.

A year ago we held a day of "Prayers for Peace." I'd like to offer a few of those prayers we offered a year ago. First, though, please watch this three-minute video. I found it hugely moving. The prayers follow underneath the video.

Prayers for Peace

Prayer by Julian of Norwich (1342-1416):

In you, Father all-mighty, we have our preservation and our bliss. In you, Christ, we have our restoring and our saving. You are our mother, brother, and savior. In you, our Lord the Holy Spirit, is marvelous and plenteous grace. You are our clothing; for love you wrap us and embrace us. You are our maker, our lover, our keeper. Teach us to believe that by your grace all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. Amen.

A Prayer for the California State Senate

Here is one of the prayers I wrote for the California State Senate in 2006. I wish it was out-of-date:

Almighty God, we pray that the leaders of all nations will work unceasingly for peace and reconcilliation in the many troubled lands of this earth. We pray especially for peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we ask that all who are serving our nation will be protected by your embrace and will return safely home soon. Amen.


A Prayer by Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Lord, open our eyes, that we may see you in our brothers and sisters.

Lord, open our ears, that we may hear the cries of hungry, the cold, the frightened, the oppressed.

Lord, open our hearts, that we may love each other as you love us.

Renew in us your spirit, Lord, free us and make us one. Amen.

A Jewish Shabbat Prayer for Peace

You have given us the power, O God, to bring peace and justice into the world. May we always love peace and pursue it, and love our fellow creatures. Fill Your children with kindness, wisdom, and love. Then shall they learn to live at peace.

Blessed is the Lord, Teacher of Peace.

A Muslim Prayer for Peace

God made this universe from love

For Him to be the Father of.

There cannot be

Another such as He.

What duty more exquiste is

Than loving with a love like His?

A better task

No one could ever ask.

Rahman Baba

Buddhist Prayer

May all beings have happiness, and the causes of happiness; May all be free from sorrow, and the causes of sorrow; May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless; And may live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too much aversion, And live believing in the equality of all that lives.

Shalom, Salaam, Peace

Monday in Holy Week: Pray for Peace

The most viewed item on this blog is a Jewish prayer for peace that I posted last December during our Day of Prayers for Peace. Please join us today at noon at St. Paul's for our Prayers for Peace and then a simple Eucharist. And pray for peace wherever you are. Here again is the prayer:

Jewish Prayer for Peace

Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth. Bless our country, that it may always be a stronghold of peace, and its advocate among the nations. May contentment reign within its borders, health and happiness within its homes. Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands, and may the love of Your name hallow every home and every heart. Blessed is the Eternal God, the Source of peace. AMEN

Gates of Prayer (Jewish), p. 695

Prayers for Peace spreading through the world

Some weeks ago I installed on this blog a little piece of coding that gives me a daily report on how many hits come to this little corner of etherspace. It shows what phrases or words are used on Google or other search engines to find it, and what cities or countries the hits are coming from. 

Here is where that information gets interesting: Last week, when the Israelis and Palestinians entered the latest phase of their war in Gaza, this blog got a huge number of hits from people looking for the "Jewish prayer for peace" that we did during our Day of of Prayers for Peace in December.

And here is where it gets more interesting: That same Jewish prayer was found by someone searching for it in India and, on the same day, by someone else searching for it in Pakistan. I would like to think it was a Muslim and a Hindu searching for peace through prayer, and maybe they found common ground in a tradition not their own.

Prayers are powerful, and prayers spread from people to people, across the boundaries of hate and violence. And that gives me hope, and fills me with gratitude for all those who participated in the Day of Prayers for Peace (all of the prayers from that day are posted HERE).

Here again is the Jewish prayer:

Jewish Prayer for Peace

 

Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of peace, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth. Bless our country, that it may always be a stronghold of peace, and its advocate among the nations. May contentment reign within its borders, health and happiness within its homes. Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands, and may the love of Your name hallow every home and every heart. Blessed is the Eternal God, the Source of peace. AMEN

Gates of Prayer (Reformed Jewish), p. 695