God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen
Archbishop Justin Welby
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war. Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation. Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world. Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness. Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons. Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love. Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity. Queen of peace, obtain peace for our world.
- Pope Francis, March 25, 2022
These interfaith peace prayers can be used throughout the 11 days as a Novena or in daily prayer time.
Special Prayer for People of Syria
Almighty eternal God, source of all compassion,
the promise of your mercy and saving help fills our hearts with hope.
Hear the cries of the people of Syria;
bring healing to those suffering from the violence,
and comfort to those mourning the dead.
Empower and encourage Syria’s neighbors
in their care and welcome for refugees.
Convert the hearts of those who have taken up arms,
and strengthen the resolve of those committed to peace.
O God of hope and Father of mercy,
your Holy Spirit inspires us to look beyond ourselves and our own needs.
Inspire leaders to choose peace over violence
and to seek reconciliation with enemies.
Inspire the Church around the world with compassion for the people of Syria,
and fill us with hope for a future of peace built on justice for all.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace and Light of the World,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
Petition:
For the people of Syria, that God may strengthen the resolve of leaders to end
the fighting and choose a future of peace.
We pray to the Lord…
Muslim Tradition
In the name of Allah,
the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the
Universe who has created us and
made us into tribes and nations
That we may know each other, not that
we may despise each other.
If the enemy incline towards peace, do
thou also incline towards peace, and
trust God, for the Lord is the one that
heareth and knoweth all things.
And the servants of God,
Most gracious are those who walk on
the Earth in humility, and when we
address them, we say “PEACE.”
~ Education for Justice
Sufi Tradition
Send Thy peace O Lord, which is
perfect and everlasting,
that our souls may radiate peace.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that we
may think, act and speak harmoniously.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that we
may be contented and thankful for
Thy bountiful gifts.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that amidst
our worldly strife, we may enjoy Thy bliss.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that we
may endure all, tolerate all, in the thought of
Thy grace and mercy.
Send Thy peace O Lord, that our lives
may become a Divine vision and in Thy light,
all darkness may vanish.
Send Thy peace O Lord, our Father and Mother,
that we Thy children on Earth may all
unite in one family.
~ Inayat Khan
Dear God, bless us as we strive to find our way to true racial reconciliation.
Open our eyes to all that goes on around us that contributes to racial injustice.
Grant us the knowledge to understand all that we do, both personally and as a society, which prevents as from recognizing and defending the dignity of all our brothers and sisters, and especially at this time, our Black and Brown brothers and sisters who are now feeling so much pain.
Grant us the grace to reflect on our own actions and inactions that contribute to this pain.
And grant us the strength to take action to alleviate this pain and to end racial injustice in all its forms.
- Phil Chick
Christian Tradition
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
~ St. Francis of Assisi
Buddhist Tradition
Lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Lead us from darkness to light.
Lead us from death to immortality.
Peace, Peace, Peace unto all.
May there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on Earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome,
and may trees and plants bring peace to all.
May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May thy Law propagate peace
all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all
and may that peace come to me also.
~ Education for Justice
Jewish Tradition
May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease
when a great peace will embrace the whole world
Then nation shall not threaten nation
and humankind will not again know war.
For all who live on earth shall realize
we have not come into being to hate or destroy
We have come into being
to praise, to labor and to love.
Compassionate God, bless all the leaders of all
nations with the power of compassion.
Fulfill the promise conveyed in Scripture:
“I will bring peace to the land,
and you shall lie down and no one shall terrify you.
I will rid the land of vicious beasts
and it shall not be ravaged by war.”
Let love and justice flow like a mighty stream.
Let peace fill the earth as the waters fill the sea.
And let us say:
Amen
~ Professor David Blades, University of Alberta
Hindu Tradition
Time has come, the time is now
When love of God may unite us all
Love of life is the universal call
We must recognize we are from the same clay,
Live through the same breath, same God we obey
Where there is religious ego, let compassion prevail
Where there is diversity, let unity excel
Where there is bigotry,
Let there be dignity
Where there is oppression
Set people free
May all people of religion unite, strands intertwined
Like a rope with which we can hang
The big chandelier of Light -
And remove blinders of prejudice from everyone’s
sight.
Where there is fanaticism,
Let there be hope
Where there is injustice,
Let there be faith
Where there is politics
Let there be peace
Oh, Divine Master
Teach me to serve and not want to be served
Let the living truth live undisturbed
Still the drums of war which cloud our perception
Let us hear your Word and follow your direction
Fill our hearts with love for your creation
Dissolve our fears, bring peace to every nation.
~ Siri Singh Sahib
