Prayers for India

The prayers that name India range widely: heatwaves and floods, the pandemic years, elections and communal tension, the treatment of women and of Dalit and tribal communities, and the safety of workers. Thanksgivings appear too, for rescues, tree planting and voices calling for interfaith unity.

God of Rest, God of Renewal: Prayers for Kenya’s Protests, the Pantanal Fires and Hajj Heat (June 20, 2024)

God of rest, God of renewal, we come to you seeking to be renewed by your presence in our lives. So many of us work so very hard, and it can feel like we cannot afford to take time to rest. Too many are struggling to make ends meet, to survive, to go on for […]

Christ Is Our Peace: A Prayer for UN Peacekeepers from Kosovo to South Sudan (May 30, 2024)

This week, the world community recognized the May 30 International Day of United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers. For 76 years, UN peacekeepers have worked to save and change lives in the world’s most fragile political and security situations. Since 1948, more than two million uniformed and civilian personnel have helped countries to transition from war to […]

Consecrating Our Chaos: A Prayer for Religious and Spiritual Leaders Around the World (April 18, 2024)

“When you take on the confusion and the violence and you refine them, purify them into something new, you are doing what in the vocabulary of faith we call consecrating your chaos. To consecrate is to make holy, to put it into service for good. In consecrating chaos, you engage it, tame it, name it, […]

Love Your Enemies: A Prayer in Genocidal Times for Ukraine, Gaza, South Sudan, and Afghanistan (April 11, 2024)

‘To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer for that person.’ ~ Luke 6:27-28 The Message ‘We are not easily reduced to prayer’ – […]

Make Us Instruments of Your Peace: A Prayer for Gaza, Haiti, and Countries at War (March 14, 2024)

May these words of St. Francis (in italics), written so long ago, prayed on so many hearts and lips, from places of longing and agony, from places of peace seeking more peace, guide our prayers: Lord, make us instruments of your peace: In all countries with armed conflict. Palestine and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, many […]

Bless the Lord, O My Soul: A Prayer for a Weary World From Gaza to Haiti (March 7, 2024)

Psalm 85:11-12 Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven. “Bless the Lord oh my soul… Oh my soul Worship his holy name Sing like never before Oh my soul I’ll worship your holy name.” Holy One to whom I raise […]

The Fasting That I Wish: A Lenten Prayer for Trafficking Victims and the Hungry of Gaza (February 15, 2024)

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. The United States […]

We Have Met the Magi and They Are Us: An Epiphany Prayer for Light Bearers (January 4, 2024)

We hope that full shalom will come when the four billion of us who believe in a Transcendent Other are converted more deeply to the enlightenment that calls us all not to kill, not to lie, not to steal, not to lust, to respect parents, and to help the needy and weak. The teaching of […]

O Great Guide, Light a Way Forward: Prayers for Gaza, Ukraine, and Congo (December 14, 2023)

O Great Guide, who led shepherds and kings by the light of a star, when we feel most lost, we pray you light a way forward. We are bombarded with news of war and death, like bombs blasting open our hearts. We pray for all areas around the globe that are experiencing war, including: Israel […]

In the Midst of Chaos, I Will Be Peace: A Prayer as the Gaza Ceasefire Breaks Down (November 30, 2023)

Editor: Shortly after the prayers were posted, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas broke down. In light of this, as duty editor, I have amended and re-posted our prayers.In the midst of chaos, I will be peace. In the heart of anger, I will be love. In the presence of despair, I will be hope. […]