Holy Spirit, remind me today that I am here, in a situation of unsafety, to pray. Help my body move with “a cadence of peace” that I might provide a different fulcrum between the armed and the unarmed. May I be swift in discerning dynamics, clear in taking action, courageous in preventing harm. If I should die today in the service of nonviolence, grant forgiveness to my killers, healing to the wounded, and comfort to my companions. If I should live today in my service of nonviolence, then deepen in me Your Energy for Life; and when I wake tomorrow, fit my feet once again “with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Amen.
Credit: Rose Marie Berger
Like pushing the Incarnate One through the walled amniotic sac, you O Maryam, continue to bring down walls. Like our foremother Hannah who called on God to intrude, intervene, and invert, you too remind us that God scatters the proud in the imagination of their hearts and pulls down the works of the mighty while lifting up the humble. We beg you for your ardent intercession, to bring down this wall, and the walls of our hearts that manifest fear and separation from our God and our neighbor. With your help, we commit ourselves to dismantling what divides us, one brick, one link, one checkpoint at a time. And out of the rubble of this wall, this dividing fence, this weaponized border, we will, with the power of Our Savior, construct a doorway of hope, a bridge of peace, a pathway to mercy. Mother Mary, bring down this wall. Amen.
Credit: Rose Marie Berger
Lord, our baptismal covenant calls us to strive for justice and peace, and you know how costly that work can be. Bless those called to the holy work of justice – of protest and public policy, of advocacy and organizing, of reconciliation and listening. Send them partners to help shoulder the burdens, so that justice may grow and spread from the heart of community. Sustain them when they are weary. Inspire them when their hearts can no longer imagine your Kingdom because they see a world that doesn’t seem to want your justice. Help them to know that when they are speaking for those whom the world has silenced, they are speaking for you. That when they stand up for those whom the world has cast aside, they are standing up for you. That when they advocate for health care, or to heal your creation, they are binding up your wounds. And finally, help them to know that although they may never see the fruits of their labor, their acts of love ripple through time, and will one day be heard as the sound of justice rolling down like waters. Amen.
Credit: Rev. Gini Gerbasi