Prayer cycle (22-28 June): Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay

Intercessions

Give thanks for:

• Lay persons who participate in local communities of faith, church leaders who continue to nurture congregations, and instructors who educate and nurture pastors.
• Composers and poets who have brought new songs to the churches of these countries and to Christians all over the world.
• Bishops and pastors who take courageous stands on behalf of their people.

Pray for:

• Families and friends of those who were murdered or disappeared in Argentina and Uruguay.
• Guidance to those in the government of Paraguay as they work to remove corruption and bring justice to those who have abused power.
• Those who experience poverty and struggle for daily bread, who live without security, safety and shelter.
• Those who must live far from their families and homes in order to make a living and provide for their families.

 

Prayer

God of life, 

you put in human beings 
the imprint of your image and likeness 
and made us to participate with you in your creation. 
Forgive our incapacity to respect and protect life in all its forms. 

God of justice, 
you call us to travel this path 
which is the only route leading to true peace. 
Forgive our daily acts of injustice 
which condemn many, many persons to death 
by hunger, exclusion and war, 
and lead us to the abyss of endless violence. 

God, incarnate in history, 
forgive us because we imprison you in our dogmas, 
limiting you to our religious institutions 
and crucifying you alongside the vulnerable of our time. 

O God, strengthen us in our daily work for a world more just, 
accepting differences, built on diversity. 
Renew our commitment to peace with justice, 
a commitment which denounces the arrogance 
of those who believe that they are powerful 
and own the lives of all the rest. 
Give us a vision to banish violence in all its forms. 
Establish as the foundation of our lives, 
and the lives of our people, 
respect, equality, truth and justice.

(Bishop Nelly Ritchie, Buenos Aires, Argentina. © Red de Liturgia del CLAI; English transl. Terry MacArthur, WCC)

O God, Lord of the wind and the sea,
of the mountains and the valleys,
of the world and of the church:
in the midst of fear and insecurity
give us trust and hope in you. 

We live in a world
where the gales of power
blow strong enough to shake life itself,
where from the arrogant and the interests of the powerful
roll the waves of injustice and violence. 

We pray for those suffering
because of their poverty, their ignorance,
their limitations,
because of their colour or status, social or sexual.
We think of your church sailing on a sea
where the waves of racism, militarism, sexism
and economic marginalization hurt human life. 

Take care of your church and put in it
a sincere love for those who suffer,
a clear vision of your will,
healing, pastoral words for the needy,
and a valiant, prophetic proclamation
against those who create violence and pain. 

O God, rebuke the uncontrolled wind of terrorism and war.
Turn it towards peace and human development
so that in place of lies, truth is strengthened,
in place of weapons, there are schools for all children,
in place of luxury, the world adorns itself
with bread for the hungry
and life blossoms everywhere. 

O God, Lord of the wind and the sea,
may your strong mercy calm the whole earth.
In the name of Jesus Christ.

Source: oikoumene.org