In a time when fear holds so much sway, when violence is so often touted and life and dignity disrespected, may the witness of martyrs and messages of prophets strengthen us to walk the Gospel Way in the service of the Prince of Peace.
For the strength to lay down all instruments of death, giving our first and greatest allegiance to Jesus Christ the eternal king rather than fight the wars of men,
Saint Marcellus of Tangier and Saint Martin of Tours, pray for us.
For the strength to seek the physical, mental and spiritual wholeness of whole persons, and the humility to see our place as creatures within the whole created order,
Saint Hildegard of Bingen, pray for us.
For the strength to extend the hand of friendship to enemies and to pursue peace rather than conquest,
Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us.
For the strength to quiet the world through prayer and to wilt our guns through love,
Saint John of the Cross, pray for us.
For the strength to serve others with the reverence due to Christ and to especially revere those society would discard, in both great and small ways,
Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
For the strength to defy an unjust order whatever the cost, and the hope to beg and entreat the conversion even of the most violent,
Blessed Franz Jagerstatter and Saint Oscar Romero, pray for us.
For the strength to embrace the most radical demands of the gospel, following the way of peace and service and nourished by community and sacrament,
Dorothy Day, Servant of God, pray for us.
For the strength to speak truth, goodness and beauty to a culture of death, and the conviction to cry from the core of our being, “Never again war!”,
Saint John Paul II, pray for us.
All holy men and women, pray for the peace and healing of this world that God so loves and for the faithfulness of all who profess his son as Lord, so that on earth as in heaven we may join the great multitude in praise of the Lamb, forever and ever. Amen.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In