Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Maryknoll Prayer for Peace in Iraq and a Healing of the Wounds of War 

The following prayer was offered at the service held on March 20, 2006 at Maryknoll NY, in commemoration of the third anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. To order copies of the prayer on a card, please contact the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns at ogc@maryknoll.org

Faced with the frightening prospect of continued chaos in Iraq, we affirm our commitment to reverence the dignity of each person and the whole community of life.

For an end to the violence that is ravaging Iraq, O God of Peace, we pray.
For an end to the mourning, an end to the suffering, O God of Peace, we pray.
For comfort and the healing of broken hearts, O God of Peace, we pray.
For the people of Iraq, we pray.
For surviving family members and loved ones in the United States, we pray.
For those whose broken bodies carry the scars of war, we pray.
For the earth damaged by war, we pray.

God of Life, we are filled with a deep yearning for peace. Maryknoll has seen too often the suffering wrought by war - close to home and on the other side of the world. We ache with the pain and fear of those who have loved ones - or who themselves are - now in danger. We ask you to guide our leaders toward a just and lasting resolution of this dreadful conflict. We ask you to gift the human community with a new capacity to build right relationships in a bitterly divided world.

Seeking to participate actively in the transformation of the world, pursuing social justice, the integrity of creation, and - with even greater intensity in these times - peace, we ask this in the name of Jesus, our brother. Amen. 

As we pray for peace so should we act for peace. Please consider :

·       reading at least one source of alternative information about the war in Iraq every week. Examples include Friends Committee for National Legislation and the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC).

·       inviting others to join you occasionally for a conversation about "security" (what really makes us feel secure)

·       contacting your Members of Congress to urge that monies allocated to Iraq arrive there; that we cease the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq; and that troops be withdrawn quickly yet in a manner conducive to the well-being of the people of Iraq. Go to the House website and the Senate website for their contact information

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