Prayer for the World March 4, 2026
- 2 days ago
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Peace be with you all!
100 Days of Prayer
Our prayer today is part of a joint effort of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious called “100 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Advocacy.” It started on Ash Wednesday and ends on the Feast of Corpus Christi. Every Congregation is asked to choose a day during that period that they commit to pray, fast and advocate in response to the situation of our Country and our World.
Song: Peace be not anxious by Lori True
Refrain: Peace now I give to you. My peace I pour through you. Not as the world gives, but evermore sure. Past all understanding, this gracious commanding: peace, bet not anxious, God holds you secure.
For Your Reflection
Earlier in February the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul Coakley, invited us to offer a Holy Hour for Peace at the time of the turmoil surrounding the tragic events in Minneapolis. Today we find ourselves in the midst of even more turbulence, violent rhetoric and action, most recently the U.S. bombing in Iran.
Pope Paul VI’s message on the World Day for Peace in 1972 was “If you want peace, work for justice.” This statement reflects the Catholic social teaching that sure and lasting peace requires addressing the root causes of conflict and inequality, which are often found in social injustices.
Pope Francis taught us to build peace, not with slogans or scapegoats, but with real acts of humility, care for the poor and love for creation. May we all find the courage to listen more than accuse, to serve more than condemn, and to heal more than wound.
The first words Pope Leo XIV spoke to the people gathered in St. Peter’s Square and to the whole world right after his election were “Peace be with you all!” The word peace echoed through St. Peter’s square nine times that evening. Several days later as he addressed journalists, the Pope made a request: Be peacemakers. He continued: Peace begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others, and speak about others. In this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance: We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war.” … “Let us disarm words and we will help disarm the world.”
Silent Prayer
Intercessions Response: God of peace, hear our prayer
For a negotiated peace in Iran and an end to the killing…
For an end to the war in Ukraine…
For an end to the violence toward immigrants and for just and humane immigration policies…
For respect toward those who are different from us...
For peace in our families, schools and neighborhoods…
For each one of us that we may continue to strive to be people of peace,
Loving God…
Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: "No, to violence on every level.” Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Amen.
Silent Prayer
Song: Be Not Anxious
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