Praying for Life & Peace

Today is the 37th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision in the case of Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion throughout the United States.

Here is a prayer to mark the day:

Prayer for A Culture of Life & A Culture of Peace

Almighty God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

We pray that Your holy presence surrounds us,
enveloping us during our pilgrim days and nights upon the Earth.
You are the air we breathe.
You are our daily bread.

We pray that our eyes and ears and hearts welcome
the images and sounds and impulses
that You send to shepherd us.
We pray that we are fertile soil for the seeds You plant.

Thank You, God,
for the Universe and the Earth
for every human life, born and unborn
– in the past, in the present and in the future
and for every part of Your Creation.

Thank You, God, for all of Your blessings.

Almighty God,

We pray for a Culture of Life and a Culture of Peace to reign
in our thoughts, on our lips,
in our hearts, in our guts,
in all that we are, and in all that we do -- seen and unseen.

We pray for a Culture of Life and a Culture of Peace to reign
in our families and among our friends,
in our homes, workplaces, schools and places of worship,

in our cities, towns, villages and farms,
in our states and in our nation,
and throughout the World.

Almighty God,

We pray that, through Your grace,
we may know an end to
abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia,
war, poverty, racism,
and all forms of violence and injustice.

Almighty God,

We pray that, through Your grace, we may have the
love, faith, hope, courage,
wisdom, tenacity, and imagination
to be Your instruments in building
this Culture of Life and this Culture of Peace upon the Earth.

And, Almighty God,

We pray that, when our pilgrim journey has ended,
we will be with You forever
in the warm embrace of Your love.

Amen.