Below we offer a range of liturgies and prayers that have been developed in our work for peace.
Please feel free to download these and use and adapt for your own needs.
Liturgy for peace in Israel/Palestine to mark 40th anniversary of illegal occupation (produced by heads of churches in Jerusalem for 3 - 9th June 2007)
On 28 December, Christians mark 'Holy
Innocents' Day'. On this day,
according to one of the Christian Gospels, King Herod
sought to secure his power by ordering the deaths of all the infants in
and around Bethlehem.
For some years, this day has been chosen by Christians involved in work for
peace and social justice to draw attention to the suffering and deaths
of innocent people today as a result of war and injustice.
Here(PDF format- get Acrobat
Reader) we offer
some background notes and liturgy ideas to encourage you to organise a service
in your local church for Holy Innocents.
Each weekly resource guide offers biblical reflections, prayer, educational resources, advocacy tools and non-violent responses to the particular theme highlighted for that given week.
Christ our Reconciliation
ICON Prayer Card
Beautiful full-colour prayer card of the icon 'Christ our Reconciliation' made for Pax Christi International at the Monastery of St John in the Desert near Jerusalem.
Drag mouse over each panel of the icon on the right to see the name of the figure/s represented
Click on each panel to read a short explanation of the same
To see the card and prayer in larger view click HERE(PDF format- get Acrobat Reader)
Available in sets of 50 - price £2.50.
Send cheque with note of your address to: Pax Christi, St Joseph's, Watford Way, Hendon, London NW4 4TY, England.
Pax Christi, together with the National Justice and Peace Network and CAFOD invites friends, members, parishes, schools and religious communities to fast and pray every Friday for peace in Iraq and the Middle East. The following is a special prayer chosen to be shared on that day
We come to you, God Creator.
You are the source of life and beauty and power.
Your son Jesus is the way of faith and hope and love.
Your Spirit is the fire of love, the fount of wisdom, the bond of unity.
You call us at all times to be people of the beatitudes,
Witnesses to the Gospel of peace and love and forgiveness.
You call us at this time, when war and rumours of war,
weigh heavily on the peoples of Iraq and the Middle East.
Their lives are already broken by suffering and violence.
We renew our acceptance of your call.
We promise to work:
To bring the light of the Gospel to those living in darkness,
To bring the hope of the Gospel to those living in despair,
To bring the healing of the Gospel to the lonely,
the disadvantaged, the marginalized,
And to bring the peace of the Gospel to a divided world.
Amen.
More Prayers are available from the following sites:
Members and supporters might like to use this on a daily basis
Thank you loving God
For the gift of life
For this wonderful world which
we all share
For the joy of love and friendship
For the challenge of helping to build
your kingdom.
Strengthen
My determination to work for a world
of peace and justice
My conviction that, whatever our
nationality or race,
we are all global citizens,
one in Christ
My courage to challenge the
powerful with the values of the Gospel
My commitment to find nonviolent
ways of resolving conflict
- personal, local, national and international
My efforts to forgive injuries and to love those I find it hard to love.
Teach me
To share the gifts you have given me
To speak out for the victims of injustice
who have no voice
To reject the violence which runs
through much of our world today.
Holy Spirit of God
Renew my hope for a world free from the cruelty and evil of war so that we may all come to share
in God's peace and justice. Amen
Could be used in a penitential service or for reflection during Lent
We confess that in our lives we do not
Always choose the way of peace.
We spread gossip which fans the flame of hatred.
We are ready to make any sacrifices when Caesar demands -
but few when God invites.
We worship the false god of security and nationalism
We hold out our hand in friendship -
But keep a weapon in the other behind our back
We have divided your body of people
Into those we trust and those we do not.
Huge problems challenge us in the world -
But our greed, fear and selfishness prevent
us from uniting to solve them
Lord, we pray for your help,
Your forgiveness and your
Reconciling power in our lives.
May be useful during times of conflict between peoples of different faith traditions e.g. the Middle East
O God, you are the source of life and peace.
Praised be your name forever. We know it is you who turn our minds to thoughts of peace.
Hear our prayer in this time of crisis.
Your power changes hearts
Muslims, Christians and Jews remember, and profoundly affirm,
That they are followers of the one God,
Children of Abraham, brothers and sisters;
Enemies begin to speak to one another;
those who were estranged join hands in friendship;
nations seek the way of peace together.
Strengthen our resolve to give witness to these
truths by the way we live.
Give to us: Understanding that puts an end to strife; Mercy that quenches hatred, and Forgiveness that overcomes vengeance.
Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Pax Christi International has an excellent web-site of Pax Christi prayers and religious symbols from around the world www.paxchristi.net/symbols
The following Pax Christi resources may be of particular help to those wanting prayer and liturgy material. We also have liturgy resources for Peace Sunday, Northern Ireland and other occasions. All available from the Pax Christi office.
Peacemaking Day by Day: A reflection a day for peace and justice. £4.00
A Taste for Peace: Recipes and Reflections from Pax Christi members around the world. £5.00
The Promise of Peace: Pax Christi anthology of poems, prayers and reading on the message of peacemaking at Christmas. £4.00
Be Still and Know: meditations for Peacemakers based on the miracle of mindfulness of Thich Nhat Hanh. £3.00
We know it is you who turn our minds to thoughts of peace.