A Franciscan Prayer
for Peace
Lord, make me an
instrument of your Peace.
In a world all too prone to violence
and revenge,
We commit ourselves to the Gospel
values of
Mercy, Justice, Compassion and Love;
We will seek daily to promote
forgiveness and
healing in our hearts, our families,
and our world.
Where there is hatred,
let us sow love;
Where there is injury, let us
cultivate Peace
Fear and distance prevent people from
recognizing all
as brothers and sisters; tensions
lead to violence and mistrust;
We will strive to honor the dignity
that God places
in each and every human person.
Grant that we may not
seek to be understood as to Understand;
To be loved as to Love
Our failure to understand the other
can create exclusion
in all its negative forms – racism,
marginalization of
those who are poor, sick, the
immigrant; it can also create
situations of domination, occupation,
oppression and war.
We pledge to see the way of
solidarity, to create hearts, homes
and communities where all people will
experience inclusion,
hospitality and understanding.
For it is in giving
that we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned
And in dying that we are born to
Eternal Life.
Let us Pray:
Lord God, create in
us:
-the Capacity to hear and understand
the voices of those who suffer from
every form of violence, injustice and
dehumanization;
- the Openness to receive and honor
people from other cultures, languages,,
religious traditions and geographical
regions;
-the Creativity to explore new ways
of communication and dialogue through
music, poetry, performing arts and
the mass media;
-the Audacity to understand the
building of communities of forgiveness, healing
and reconciliation.
To God who is above
all and in all are the glory and the honor. Amen.
