Two Prayers for a Warless World
Prayer for Conscientious Objectors:
conscientious objector: an individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion
You are the Quiet Breath that speaks in the stillness of our hearts, calling us away from the noise of war. Watch over us as we honor the brave souls who chose to call upon You in a time of turmoil—the holy pause that stops a hand from striking.
We thank You for the witness of St. Longinus, who stood at the foot of the Cross and chose to drop his spear, and for St. Martin of Tours, who laid down his armor to become a soldier of Your love. Through their intercession, grant the world a new spirit of 'holy refusal.'
Strengthen the hearts of those today who are pressured to build, carry, or fire the weapons of modern war. Give them the courage to see their 'enemy' as Your child and their own brother. Be the Mender of Broken Things for those whose consciences are torn by the demands of empire. Help us all to remember that our true citizenship is in Your Eternal Home, where no one is asked to kill.
Prayer for the Souls of Victims of Violence
let us mourn the victims, honor the dead, and seek comfort for the grieving.
You are the Father of the Fatherless and the shelter for the broken. Our hearts are heavy today for the millions of lives extinguished by the fire of war—for the names forgotten by history but cherished eternally by You.
Our Lady of the Ruins, you who stand in the smoke and the rubble of every fallen city, we ask you to be a mother to those who died in terror and alone. Gather the souls of the victims of every bombing into the safety of your mantle.
St. Catherine of Siena, you who nursed the dying and held the hands of the condemned, walk with those who are passing from this world as we pray. Let them not be afraid.
Father, take them into Your garden where no sirens wail and no shadows fall. Be their Eternal Home and their everlasting peace. Hold them close, as a parent holds a child after a long and frightening night, until every tear is wiped away and all things are made new.
Statues outside the Urakami Cathedral in the wake of the bombing of Nagasaki. Source: THE CATHOLIC WORKER, 2010 August issue
annaxmalina
germansingergirl
gummygunk
izzy806
