May those who hold the destiny of the world in their hands/ be people of light and life./ May they be reconciling healers,/ stable,/ godly people of good conscience and generous spirit./ We pray to the Lord.
May we be delivered from thinking/ that our national greatness is determined by our capacity to destroy others./ We pray to the Lord.
Tuesday is International Women's Day./ We pray for the women of Ukraine and in every place where women struggle against great odds to safeguard their families./ We pray for women whose gifts have not yet been fully valued and encouraged./ For the young girls of the world to be welcomed and loved./ We pray to the Lord.
During wars the earth itself is abused./ There are new bombs that suck the oxygen out of the air to expand the blast,/ the soil and air are filled with poisons,/ trees and fields are burned,/ animals are displaced and killed,/ earth's resources are wasted./ May God forgive and correct our terribly wrong thinking./ We pray to the Lord.
The Dali Lama,/ the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism,/ has said, "War it outdated."/ May we learn finally,/ after the devastating wars of the last century,/ how to talk to each other,/ to solve problems and address concerns./ We pray to the Lord.
We pray for the one million refugees who have fled Ukraine this week./ They are mostly women and children./ For those who cannot leave:/ the poor,/ the sick,/ the elderly,/ the homeless./ We pray for the many hundreds who have died — mindful that even little children and teenagers have lost their lives./ Deliver us from the evil and sin of war./ We pray to the Lord.
Lent is called the Church's Springtime./ May we grow into the mind of Christ:/ Roman Catholic,/ Protestant,/ Orthodox./ Wars perpetrated by Christians reveal a great shame./ May we be delivered and converted./ We pray to the Lord.
