Eternal God,
have mercy on all soldiers and veterans buried in cemeteries and those whose gravesites are unknown.
In particular, we pray for those forced into service despite their conscientious objection.
Bring them all into your kingdom of light and peace
and let them share joy with you and with all your saints.
May they celebrate life eternal without bloodshed and killing.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security is asking the Department of Defense to call up 20,000 additional National Guard soldiers from throughout the country – not to promote peace, but more likely to aid government officials in limiting the opportunity for people from other countries to apply for permission to live in the U.S. and to deport people who are already in the country (undocumented and legal residents alike).
We pray for the safety of soldiers pulled from their homes and families to serve at the whim of government leaders who fail to carry out due process to verify identities and prove criminal charges before imprisoning, deporting, or shooting.
Ukraine soldiers hold their breath. U.S., Europe, Turkey and other governments have pushed Russia and Ukraine to direct talks for the first time in three years. In the words of one Ukrainian soldier, “”They [Russia and Ukraine] have to start talking. Us soldiers, we wish this war would end. But it’s important to remember that we cannot stop it because we did not start it,” he told a BBC News reporter.
We pray for all men, women, and children, feeling like pinballs while living in unstable countries. May our concern for them promote greater feelings of inner peace.
In Israel, where tens of thousands of reserve soldiers were called up earlier this month, Eran Tamir, an infantryman who had served four tours of duty in 18 months, decided that he would not be among them. He wrote in a letter on Walla, an Israeli news, opinion, and interpretation site, “It’s legitimate to refuse a war whose stated goals are a complete lie. It’s legitimate to refuse a war that is our moral low point as a country.” The U.N. has estimated that as many as 14,000 Palestinian babies in Gaza may die within the next 12 months (originally accidentally misstated as “the next 48 hours”) without access to formula. Gaza residents still aren’t receiving much-needed food and medicine due to an almost-complete Israeli blockade of aid that has lasted for more than 2 1/2 months.
We pray that the moral consciences of soldiers – and of all who cannot stomach killing children and civilians – will be respected by political and military leaders and that thoughtfulness will replace rash behavior in human endeavors.
While many countries justifiably memorialize members who have died in military service, we also remember international peacekeepers every May 29. Today, more than 76,000 civilians, military, and police personnel serve in 11 UN peacekeeping missions, confronting increasingly-complex and interconnected challenges shaped by a shifting geopolitical landscape. Despite the challenges, peacekeepers remain steadfast in their pursuit of peace. International Peacekeepers Day pays tribute to their unwavering service and sacrifice, as well as the resilience of the communities they support. It also solemnly honors the more than 4,000 peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace, including 26 in 2024 alone.
Let us pray in the words of James McGinnis, in Praying for Peace Around the Globe:
O God of hope and peace, protect the more than 76,000 UN peacekeepers deployed around our world to bring warring parties to negotiate peace, enforce ceasefires, and rebuild hope, as well as societies devastated by war. Inspired by their courageous and selfless service, may we become peacemakers and peacekeepers in our home, community, and in the political process in our community, state, and nation.
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