Prayer for Peace on Earth Day 1

Prayer for peace on Earth – Day 1

In 1963 St. John XXII (Pope) addressed his great encyclical Pacem in Terris to a world living under the shadow and threat of war. He spoke fearlessly of a divinely established order in human affairs which is the basis of peace.

The world will never be the dwelling place of peace till peace has found a home in the heart of each and every person, till every person preserves in himself the order ordained by God to be preserved.

Pacem in Terris

Peace begins with me. Today, I can be especially open to the gift of peace in my heart. It is a gift and can’t be forced. As we long for peace we remember our brothers and sisters of all faiths who share our longings.

Let us offer together: one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be Prayer for peace on Earth – Day 2 St. (Pope) John XXIII reminded the world of the “Four Pillars of Peace”. They are the basis of right order in our world. It is an order that is founded on truth, built up on justice, nurtured and animated by charity, and brought into effect under the auspices of freedom. As we join together in prayer today, we might express our hope for our world, that we may re-establish the divine order in our own hearts and in our world. Still, we remember that the Lord speaks to each person according to their own situation and needs. Lord, the plight of our country is deep and the suffering of Christians is severe and frightening. Therefore, we ask you Lord to spare our lives, and to grant us patience, and courage to continue our witness of Christian values with trust and hope. Lord, peace is the foundation of life; Grant us the peace and stability that will enable us to live with each other without fear and anxiety, and with dignity and joy.

Glory be to you forever.

† Louis Raphael I Sako the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Iraq Global Day of Prayer for Peace - August 6, 2014—the Feast of the Transfiguration

Prayer for peace on Earth – Day 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. (Matthew 5:3-12)

CCC 1717 The Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ’s disciples; they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints. (Also see CCC 459, 1820)

Today, we pray to follow Christ more closely, and continue to be peacemakers in our home, our workplace, our community, and our world.

We pray together an Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, in thanksgiving, and for the intentions of +Bishop Paul Bradley. Prayer for peace on Earth – Day 4

Today we pray for +Bishop Paul Bradley’s intentions. We also pray for an end to violence in the Domestic Church. We offer together: 3 Hail Mary’s for peace of mind, body and spirit.

Prayer for peace on Earth – Day 5 A Prayer for the Way to Peace 1 Father of love, hear my prayer. Help me to know Your Will and to do it with courage and faith. Accept my offering of myself, all my thoughts, words, deeds, and sufferings. May my life be spent giving You glory. Give me the strength to follow Your call, so that Your Truth may live in my heart and bring peace to me and to those I meet, for I believe in Your Love. I ask this through Christ, my Lord. Amen. Let us pray for peace in our hearts, in our homes, and for +Bishop Bradley and his intentions. Together we pray 3 “Our Father’s” in praise and honor to the Holy Trinity.

Prayer for peace on Earth – Day 6 Almighty and Eternal Father, God of wisdom and mercy, whose power exceeds all force of arms and whose protection is the strong defense of all who trust in Thee, enlighten and direct, we beseech Thee, those who bear the heavy responsibility of government throughout the world in these days of stress and

1 Catholic Online prayer trial. Grant them the strength to stand firm; for what is right and the skill to dispel the fears that foment discord. Inspire them to be mindful of the horrors of atomic war for victor and vanquished alike, to seek conciliation in truth and patience, to see in every man a brother, that the people of all nations may, in our day, enjoy the blessings of a just and lasting peace. Conscious of our own unworthiness, we implore Thy mercy on a sinful world, in the name of Thy Divine Son, the prince of peace, and through the intercession of His blessed mother and all the saints. 2

Queen of All Saints, pray for us. Queen of the Holy Rosary, pray for us. Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Prayer for peace on Earth – Day 7 Prayer for Peace to Mary, the Light of Hope Immaculate Heart of Mary, help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths toward the future.

2 2heartsnetwork From famine and war, deliver us. From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us. From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us. From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us. Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of world societies. Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit conquer all sin: Individual sin and the "sin of the world," sin in all its manifestations. Let there be revealed once more in the history of the world the infinite saving power of the redemption: the power of merciful love. May it put a stop to evil. May it transform consciences. May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope. Amen. ~~ St. John Paul II Prayer for peace on Earth – Day 8 O Lord Jesus Christ, Who said to Your Apostles: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you," regard not my sins but the faith of Your Church, and deign to give her peace and unity according to Your Will: Who live and reign, God, world without end. Amen.

A Prayer for Peace of Mind

Almighty God, We bless you for our lives, we give you praise for your abundant mercy and grace we receive. We thank you for your faithfulness even though we are not that faithful to you. Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives. Please guide our path through life and make our enemies be at peace with us. Let your peace reign in our family, at our place of work, businesses and everything we lay our hands on. Let your angels of peace go ahead of us when we go out, and stay by our side when we return. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place our trust in YOU!!! Prayer for peace on Earth – Day 9 Stewards strive to remain faithful to their baptismal promises each day and to resist temptations to wander away: they are faithful to daily prayer, participate more fervently in the Eucharistic celebration, try to live the Beatitudes, and make a commitment to ongoing conversion of heart. (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2340). Today, we pray for the intentions of +Bishop Paul Bradley and the Diocese of Kalamazoo. May we continue to be renewed in Faith, build communion among our neighbors, and inspire hope to all those we meet in our daily living.

We pray together a Rosary for Peace and for the Family. 3 (We will pray the five Sorrowful Mysteries that begin on page 24)

THE FIVE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES

The First Sorrowful Mystery The Agony in the Garden

1. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”

(Mt 26:38) (HAIL MARY…)

2. My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation. (Sir 2:1) (HAIL MARY…)

3. My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. (Ps 55:4-5) (HAIL MARY…)

4. My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent; for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. (Jer 4:19) (HAIL MARY…)

5. Give heed to me, O Lord, and hearken to my plea. Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a pit for my life. Remember how I stood before thee to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them. (Jer 18:19) (HAIL MARY…)

6. I hear many whispering. Terror on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, watching for my fall. (Jer 20:10) (HAIL MARY…)

7. He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is. (Lam 3:16-17) (HAIL MARY…)

8. My heart is broken within me, all my bones shake.... The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his mind. (Jer 23:9, 20) (HAIL MARY…) 9. Then I said, “Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy Law is within my heart.” (Ps 40:7-8) (HAIL MARY…)

3 http://www.kofc.org/un/en/resources/cis/cis319.pdf 10. Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (1 Sm 15:22) (HAIL MARY…)

The Second Sorrowful Mystery The Scourging at the Pillar

1. They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. (Jn 18:40, 19:1) (HAIL MARY…)

2. Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. (Wis 2:19) (HAIL MARY)

3. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; and the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. (Wis 2:14-15) (HAIL MARY…)

4. Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow which was brought upon me, sorrow which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger? (Lam 1:12) (HAIL MARY…)

5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we were healed. (Is 53:5) (HAIL MARY…)

6. The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows. (Ps 129:3) (HAIL MARY)

7. I am a man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day long. (Lam 3:1-3) (HAIL MARY)

8. Accept whatever is brought upon you; and in changes that humble you, be patient. (Sir 2:5) (HAIL MARY…)

9. But I am a worm, and no man; scorned by men, and despised by the people. (Ps 22:6) (HAIL MARY…)

10. Nevertheless in thy great mercies thou didst not make an end of them or forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. (Neh 9:31) (HAIL MARY…)

The Third Sorrowful Mystery The Crowning with Thorns

1. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. (Mt 27:28-29a) (HAIL MARY…)

2. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Mt 27:29b) (HAIL MARY…)

3. And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. (Mt 27:30) 4. For gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. (Sir 2:5) (HAIL MARY…)

5. The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself, so that you will find favor in the sight of the Lord. (Sir 3:19) (HAIL MARY…)

6. Do not boast about wearing fine clothes, nor exalt yourself on the day that you are honored; for the works of the Lord are wonderful, and his works are concealed from men. (Sir 11:4) (HAIL MARY…)

7. Many were astonished at him, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men. (Is 52:14) (HAIL MARY…)

8. He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. (Is 53:2) (HAIL MARY…)

9. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (Is 53:3a)

10. And, as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Is 53:3b)

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery The Carrying of the Cross

1. And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, and laid it upon his son. (Gn 22:6)

2. With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven; we are weary, we are given no rest. Young men are compelled to grind at the mill; and boys stagger under loads of wood. (Lam 5:5, 13)

3. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. (Is 53:7)

4. Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows. (Is 53:4)

5. The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are reckoned as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands. (Lam 4:2)

6. Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form was like sapphire. Now their visage is blacker than soot, they are not recognized in the streets. (Lam 4:7, 8)

7. He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me; though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; he has blocked my way with fitted stones.” (Lam 3:7-9)

8. They wander, blind, through the streets, so defiled with blood that none could touch their garments. “Away! Unclean!” men cried at them; “Away! Away! Touch not!” (Lam 4:14, 15)

9. Sorely have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. (Ps 129:2) 10. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross to the place called the place of the skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. (Jn 19:17)

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery The Crucifixion and Death of the Lord

1. And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:32-33)

2. The enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary. Thy foes have roared in the midst of thy holy place. (Ps 74:3-4)

3. When Jesus saw his Mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your Mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. (Jn 19:26-27)

4. He poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Is 53:12)

5. Since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death. (Heb 2:14) 6. Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a holocaust, my son.” (Gn 22:8)

7. And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb, standing as though it had been slain. (Rv 5:6)

8. Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb. (Rv 14:1)

9. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance, and immediately there flowed out blood and water. (Jn 19:34)

10. Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. (Rv 22:1)