Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
The Word of God: Isaiah 61: 1-5.
Litany: Beatitudes of Reconciliation
Blessed are those who are willing to enter into the process of being healed,
R./ For they will become healers.
Blessed are those who recognized their own inner violence,
R./ For they will come to know non-violence.
Blessed are those who can forgive self,
R./ For they will become forgivers.
Blessed are those who are willing to let go of selfishness and self-centeredness,
R./ For they will become a healing presence.
Blessed are those who listen with compassion,
R./ For they will become compassionate.
Blessed are those who are willing to enter into conflicts,
R./ For they will find resolutions.
Blessed are those who know their interdependence with all of creation,
R./ For they will become unifiers.
Blessed are those who live a contemplative life stance,
R./ For they will find God in all things.
Blessed are those who strive to live these beatitudes,
R./ For they will become reconcilers.
(Sisters of St. Joseph, Concordia, Kansas (USA)
Litany: Beatitudes of Reconciliation (ccvichapel.org))
Intercessions
- We pray for an end to all forms of violence: harsh words, racial hatred, structural injustice, weapons of war, cold indifference… That our homes, nations and all countries of the world be communities of PEACE. (Moment of silence)
O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
- For political and religious leaders: that they commit themselves to overcome SYSTEMIC INJUSTICE through promoting education for all and at all levels of society; through appropriate housing, through creating equal opportunities for all in matters of employment and that they work for the abolition of nuclear weapons. (Moment of silence)
O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
- For SOLIDARITY in our global human family. That we may work together to protect the most vulnerable and the who suffer most from conflicts and war, from the consequences of climate change. (Moment of silence)
O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
- For Pope Francis. That we may heed and respond his appeal for evangelical nonviolence in the Church, in our congregations and institutes, in civil society. (Moment of silence).
O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
- For all religious, for priests and for bishops who have failed to make known Jesus’ message of non-violence and of unconditional respect and love for every human person, friend and enemy alike. We pray that God’s Spirit of wisdom, audacity, resilience may enkindle their hearts and our hearts with divine love, and renew our commitment to walk in Jesus’ footsteps and continue Jesus’ ministry of healing. (Moment of silence)
O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
- For our congregations and institutes that we may welcome and celebrate the variety of Christ’s images among us and that we may act together to face all forms of violence. (Moment of silence).
O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
- For a growing and increasing appreciation of the EUCHARIST as the sacrament of non-violence, as the pledge of universal communion, as commitment to an evangelical way of life where the greatest is the smallest, where to serve is to reign and where to give one’s life with love and out of love is to find it. (Moment of silence).
O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord hear our prayer. Come and listen to us.
OUR FATHER.
Concluding prayer
O God, Lover of Life, you continue to create and give life to this beautiful world, of such a wide and rich diversity. Send your SPIRIT OF UNITY in our midst, that diversity may not bring division, strive nor hatred. May your risen Son, your Servant of nonviolent love, fill our hearts and minds with HIS PEACE. We ask you this in his name, who lives for ever and ever. Amen.
Song of Saint Francis.
- Make me a channel of your Peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love;
Where there is injury, your healing power,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.
- Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there’s despair in life, let me
Bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light,
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.
- O, Spirit, grant that I may never seek:
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my
soul.
- Make me a channel of your Peace:
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving to all that we receive,
And in dying that we’re born to eternal
life.
