As the UN marks the International Day of Peace and the World Council of Churches invites us to join the International Day of Prayer for Peace this September 21st, let us pray for peace in our hearts and minds, in our families, in our communities, in our nations, and throughout the world.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, come among us. Be formed within us. And change us into your likeness that there may be peace throughout the world.
May peace come in the form of reconciliation, in Scotland, where the referendum on Independence, no matter the outcome, will leave many heartbroken. May there be peace.
May peace come in the form of courage, in Guinea, where fear and distrust in wake of the Ebola outbreak led residents to beat and kill a delegation of health workers and journalists. May there be peace.
May peace come in the form of welcome, in Pozzallo, Sicily, which has become a major processing point for migrants and refugees from Libya. May there be peace.
May peace come in the form of openness, in Pakistan, where Muhammad Shakil Auj, a liberal Muslim scholar who had been accused of blasphemy, was shot dead in Karachi. May there be peace.
May peace come in the form of an end to violence, in Syria, in Iraq, in Ukraine, and elsewhere where bloodshed, domination, and terror hold sway. May there be peace.
May peace come in the form of an end to poverty, in Brazil, where Osmar Paiva Camela, a retired police officer who worked for the people in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, was assassinated last Monday. May there be peace.
May peace come in the form of each of us, day by day, in the places where we live and work and worship. May we be your bearers of peace, of reconciliation, of courage, of welcome. Work in us and through us to end poverty and violence. May we seek peace and pursue it, by seeking you and knowing you, seeing you in every instance of peace, and being the peace we wish to see in the world.
Through you, O God, through your Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we pray: may there be peace. Amen.
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