Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Thursday, January 25, 2007

For the Grace to Desire Peace


Great God, who has told us "Vengeance is mine,"save us from ourselves,

save us from the vengeance in our hearts

and the acid in our souls.

Save us from our desire to hurt as we have been hurt,

to punish as we have been punished,

to terrorize as we have been terrorized.

Give us the strength it takes

to listen rather than to judge,

to trust rather than to fear,

to try again and again

to make peace even when peace eludes us.

We ask, O God, for the grace to be our best selves.

We ask for the vision

to be builders of the human community

rather than its destroyers.

We ask for the humility as a people

to understand the fears and hopes of other peoples.

We ask for the love it takes

to bequeath to the children of the world to come

more than the failures of our own making.

We ask for the heart it takes

to care for all the peoples

of Afghanistan and Iraq, of Palestine and Israel (Lebanon, Darfur,Syria, Iran & those south of our border)

as well as for ourselves.

Give us the depth of soul, O God,

to constrain our might,

to resist the

temptations of power,

to refuse to attack the attackable,

to understand that vengeance begets violence,

and to bring peace – not war – wherever we go.

For You, O God, have been merciful to us.

For You, O God, have been patient with us.

For You, O God, have been gracious to us.

And so may we be mercifuland patient and gracious

and trusting

with these others who you also love.


Joan D. Chittister, OSB

"Reprinted with permission from Pax Christi USA,

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

~VOW OF NONVIOLENCE~


I've never been strong enough to take this vow but here it is. Maybe someday I will be, maybe some day we all will be.

~VOW OF NONVIOLENCE~

RECOGNIZING THE VIOLENCE IN MY OWN HEART, yet trusting in the goodness and mercy of God, I vow for one year to practice the nonviolence of Jesus who taught us in the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God...You have learned how it was said, "You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy"; but I say to you, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you will be daughters and sons of your Creator in heaven." Before God the Creator and the Sanctifying Spirit, I vow to carry out in my life the love and example of Jesus by striving for peace within myself and seeking to be a peacemaker in my daily life; by accepting suffering rather than inflicting it; by refusing to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence; by persevering in nonviolence of tongue and heart; by living conscientiously and simply so that I do not deprive others of the means to live; by actively resisting evil and working nonviolently to abolish war and the causes of war from my own heart and from the face of the earth. God, I trust in Your sustaining love and believe that just as You gave me the grace and desire to offer this, so You will also bestow abundant grace to fulfill it.

After reading and reflecting on the Vow of Nonviolence, people often commit themselves to trying to follow it daily for a year. If a group of people is committing to the vow, a ceremony can be planned. We invite all who take the vow to sign the following commitment statement and return it to us at Pax Christi USA, 532 West 8th Street, Erie, PA 16502 or at info@paxchristiusa.org I commit myself to living according to the Vow of Nonviolence for a one year period.
Signature ___________________________________________________________ Name (Print) ________________________________________________________ Street ______________________________________________________________ City __________________________________ State ___________ Zip _________ Date _______________________________________________________________
http://www.paxchristiusa.org/

The Prayer of Saint Francis


"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, harmony;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light,
and Where there is sorrow, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

The Universal Prayer


O Lord, we bring before You the distress and dangers of
Peoples and nations, the pleas of the imprisoned and the captive,
the sorrows of the grief-stricken,
the needs of the refugees the
impotence of the weak,
the weariness of the despondent;
and weaknesses of the aging.
O Lord, stay close to all of them.

O Lord, show Your mercy to us and gladden our hearts.
O Good Samaritan, come to our aid.
We are like the sheep that went astray:
O Good Shepherd, seek us out and bring us home
in accord with Your will.
Let us dwell in Your house all the days
of our lives and praise You for ever and ever with those who are there.

Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the friends and relatives
that You have given us to love us in spite of our failures and
weaknesses, and to enrich our lives after Your example. Let us
ever behave toward them as You behaved toward Your friendsand relatives. Bind us close together in You and enable us to help one another on our earthly journey.

Grant us a knowledge of the Father and of Yourself.
Help us to Cling steadfastly to the Christian faith. In our studies and in our
teaching make us seek only the extension of Your kingdom and
Your holy Church both in ourselves and in others.

O Lord, send workers for Your harvest, so that the precepts of
Your only-begotten Son may always be obeyed and His sacrifice
be everywhere renewed. Look with favor upon Your family, and
ever increase its numbers. Enable it to lead its sons and daughters to
the holiness to which they are called and to work for the
salvation of others.

Lord Jesus Christ, watch over those who are leaders in Your Church. Keep them faithful to their vocation and to the proclamation of Your message. Strengthen them with the gifts of the Spirit and help them to serve Your people, especially the poor and lowly. Give them a vivid sense of Your presence in the world and a knowledge of how to show it to others. Lord, watch over Your missionaries—priests, religious, pastors, rabbis, clerics and lay people—who leave everything to give testimony to Your Word and Your love. In difficult moments sustain their energies, comfort their hearts, and crown their work with spiritual achievements. Let Your Cross, which accompanies them throughout life, speak to them of heroism, generosity, love, and peace.

Sweet Jesus, many indeed have never known You; many, too, Despising Your precepts, have rejected You. Have mercy on them all and draw them to Your Sacred Heart. Be King, O Lord, not only of the faithful, but also of the prodigal children who have abandoned You. Be King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to You.

Great God, who has told us "Vengeance is mine,"
save us from ourselves,
save us from the vengeance in our hearts
and the acid in our souls.
Save us from our desire to hurt as we have been hurt,
to punish as we have been punished,
to terrorize as we have been terrorized.
Give us the strength it takes
to listen rather than to judge,
to trust rather than to fear,
to try again and again
to make peace even when peace eludes us.
We ask, O God, for the grace to be our best selves.
We ask for the vision
to be builders of the human community
rather than its destroyers.
We ask for the humility as a people
to understand the fears and hopes of other peoples.
We ask for the love it takes
to bequeath to the children of the world to come
more than the failures of our own making.
We ask for the heart it takes
to care for all the peoples
of Afghanistan and Iraq, of Palestine and Israel (Lebanon, Darfur,Syria, Iran & those south of our border)as well as for ourselves.
Give us the depth of soul, O God,
to constrain our might,
to resist the
temptations of power,
to refuse to attack the attackable,
to understand that vengeance begets violence,
and to bring peace – not war – wherever we go.
For You, O God, have been merciful to us.
For You, O God, have been patient with us.
For You, O God, have been gracious to us.
And so may we be merciful
and patient and gracious
and trustingwith these others who you also love.
Joan D. Chittister, OSB"Reprinted with permission from Pax Christi USA, www.paxchristiusa.org"

Grant, O Lord, to Your Church assurance of freedom and
Immunity from harm; give tranquility of order to all nations;
makethe earth resound from pole to pole with one cry:
Praise to the divine Heart that wrought our salvation;
to it be glory and honor for ever.
Dear God we know You love us. We accept whatever You decide.
We leave everything up to Your divine goodness and loving care.
You are our God.
Thank you for everything.
Amen.

God bless the whole world—no exceptions