Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
We have tried many times over many years
to resolve our conflicts by our own powers
and by the force of arms.
How many moments
of hostility and darkness have we experienced!
How much blood has been shed!
How many lives have been shattered!
How many hopes have been buried!

Lord, come now to our assistance!
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:
“Never again war! With war, all is lost!”
Instill in our hearts the courage
to take concrete steps to achieve peace.

God of Abraham,
God of the Prophets, God of Love,
you created us and you call us
to live as brothers and sisters.
Give us the daily strength to be instruments of peace;
enable us to see everyone who crosses our path
as our brother and sister.
Make us sensitive to the plea
of those who beg us
to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace,
our trepidation into confident trust,
and our quarrelling into forgiveness.

Keep alive within us the flame of hope,
so that with patience and perseverance,
we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation.
In this way, may peace triumph at last,
and may the words of division, hatred, and war
be banished from the heart of every person.
Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands.
Renew our hearts and minds,
so that the words which always bring us together
will be “brother” and “sister”
and our way of life will always be
that of Shalom! Peace! Salaam! Amen!

Prayed at the Vatican on June 8, 2014

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About Us

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is an international fellowship of ‘Franciscans in Spirit’ with members, friends, and followers on four continents. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi. For more information about the Assisi Project and our upcoming opportunities for faith formation, prayer, and pilgrimage in the Franciscan spiritual tradition, please contact Cliff Garvey at cgarvey@assisiproject.com. May the Lord give you peace!

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