A Litany for Social Justice

“For all those who have fallen victim to hatred and inhumanity,
for those loved ones who are left behind to mourn,
for the souls of those whose hearts are cold,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the children who are being born into this world of conflict and violence,
for women and mothers who suffer needlessly,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For all those who have been forced into unemployment,
who long to return to work,
for all those who struggle to support their families,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the soldiers who are misguided in thinking that their bullets will bring about peace,
for those who feel called to conscientiously object to military orders,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the children who cry in their beds at night and wonder “what have I done?”
For the mothers and fathers who must try to explain the unexplainable,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For all the children who have died before their time,
for the soldiers who allow their uniform to strip them of their humanity,
for the healers who are denied the opportunity to use their gifts,
Lord, hear our prayer.
For the redemption of souls of both victim and perpetrator,
for those who commit themselves to the forgiveness of sins,
Lord, hear our prayer.”

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• Simply attributed to “United Church of Christ” and found at: https://socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/prayers/justice/

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A Christian Litany of Humility

“O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus
That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.”

(Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val)

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• Found at Jesuit Resources

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The Anima Christi

Lothar Schreyer

“Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within your wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from you.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to you.
That with your saints I may praise you.
For ever and ever.

Amen.”

• Attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola

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• Found at at Jesuit Resources

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Daily Examen

Thanksgiving:
What am I especially grateful for in the past day?
The gift of another day?
The love and support I have received?
The courage I have mustered?
An event that took place today?

Petition:
I am about to review my day; I ask for the light to know God and to know myself as God sees me.

Review:
Where have I felt true joy today?
What has troubled me today?
What has challenged me today?
Where and when did I pause today?
Have I noticed God's presence in any of this?

Response:
In light of my review, what is my response to the God of my life?

A Look Ahead
As I look ahead, what comes to mind?
With what spirit do I want to enter tomorrow?

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• Found at at Jesuit Resources

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Prayer After Election Day 2020

Creator God,
Three in One.

Creator
Savior
Spirt.

We admit that we don’t know how to pray for a country that is but an afterthought.

We remember that Israel’s “physical” king wasn’t necessarily a blessing.

Yes, you gave them what they asked for. But they lacked imagination and only asked for what they could see.

As do we.

Please forgive our blandness. Please forgive our indifference.

Please forgive us for trusting in fleeting Empire. 

Please forgive us for fighting for our liberties rather than laying them down.

Please forgive us for protecting the rich instead of lifting the Lowly. 

Creating, Sustaining, Forgiving, and Liberating God, 

Please show our country grace. In spite of us and yet for us.

Even though we don’t deserve it. 

Please forgive our arrogance. Please forgive “Manifest Destiny.” Please forgive our slaughter of the Innocents for the sake of land, money, and power, both on our own soil and others.

Please forgive the spirit of Systemic Racism which has infected our power structures. Please remind us of our neighbor. 

Please fill us with Love. 

Please let your face shine rather than ours.

A Litany of Thanksgiving (Book of Common Prayer)

Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.

For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.

For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.

Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the
Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

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Taken from the Book of Common Prayer Online.

Prayers of the People Concerning Immigrants and Refugees

Prayers of the People Concerning Immigrants and Refugees (Courtesy of the Anglican Immigrant Initiative).

The Deacon or other person appointed says these prayers with the people responding to each petition – “Hear our prayer.” 

 Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

 Almighty and ever-living God you command us to offer prayers and supplications and to give thanks for all people. We humbly ask you to receive our prayers and petitions on behalf of all immigrants and refugees throughout the world. 

 Reader:Lord in your mercy.

People:Hear our prayer. 

 Dear Lord, we pray that you will lead the nations of the world in the ways of righteousness and truth. So guide and direct our leaders, in this and every land, in the ways of wisdom and compassion, that they will properly balance the need to protect our citizens with the need to honor and respect the dignity of every human being. 

 Reader:Lord in your mercy.

People:Hear our prayer. 

 Give grace, O Heavenly Father, to all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, and especially to your servant Archbishop Beach, so to guide and direct this Province in the ways of justice and peace modeling what it means to love you with our whole heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Reader: Lord in your mercy.

People: Hear our prayer. 

 Almighty and merciful Lord, we are taught in your holy Word to treat the sojourner among us with kindness and respect, remembering how the People of Israel were sojourners in the land of Egypt. (Leviticus 19:33-34) Inspire us to reach out, in obedience to your Word, respecting and welcoming the sojourner in our midst. 

Reader: Lord in your mercy.

People: Hear our prayer. 

 Heavenly Father, we remember before you those families who have been separated at our boarders.  We pray for their protection and reunification. 

 Reader: Lord in your mercy.

People: Hear our prayer. 

 Additional prayers may be added. The Celebrant concludes with the following prayer

 Heavenly Father, grant these our prayers for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

• Visit the Anglican Initiative website.

A Litany For Weeping

A Litany For Weeping by Kaitlin Curtice. Sojo.net. 11.08.18

We think that there are no more tears left,
that we can’t,
as a people,
possibly mourn this deeply, this often.

So we breathe and remember:
Jesus wept.

We are numb,
staggering with disbelief,
scared and wondering if shalom
still exists.

So we breathe and remember:
Jesus wept.

We try to make sense of hate,
try to trace the line
of white supremacy.

We see that though we’ve come so far,
it’s not so far that we’ve come.

So we breathe and remember:
Jesus wept.

We name those who have died
from unjust institutions
and the carrying on of hate.

We raise our fists and
beat our chests.

So we breathe and remember:
Jesus wept.

We hope to be brave,
but we are tired.
We hope for freedom,
but there are so many in shackles.

So we breathe and remember:
Jesus wept.

We fight with weapons of
peace and humility.
We fight with the power
of listening.

We breathe and remember:
Jesus wept.

And when tomorrow comes,
and the day is new,
we cannot deny reality.

We live our own belovedness,
and the belovedness of others.

So today, in all our places, we breathe and remember:
Jesus wept.
And so we breathe and weep with him.

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A Litany For Weeping by Kaitlin Curtice. Sojo.net. 11.08.18

A Litany For Gun Violence

[Edited to add the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.]

We lament, pray, and discern what actionable steps we are called to take as followers of Jesus.

Litany in the Wake of a Mass Shooting

God of peace, we remember all those who have died in incidents of mass gun violence in this nation’s public and private spaces.

Six dead at the Wisconsin Sikh Temple.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Twelve dead at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Twenty-eight dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead at Santa Monica College, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Seven dead at a Hialeah, Florida apartment complex.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Thirteen dead at the Washington Navy Yard.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at Fort Hood, Texas.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Seven dead in Isla Vista, near UC Santa Barbara.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at Marysville Pilchuck High School in Washington.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Nine dead at Emanuel AME in Charleston, South Carolina.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Sixteen dead at a San Bernardino, California office.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Ten dead at Umpqua Community College, Oregon.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a Hesston, Kansas office.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at a Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania backyard party.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Fifty dead at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at Cascade Mall in Burlington, Washington.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at Fort Lauderdale Airport.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead in Fresno, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Eight dead in Lincoln County, Mississippi.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at an Eaton Township, Pennsylvania supermarket.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Nine dead at a Plano, Texas football-watching party.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Fifty-nine dead at a Las Vegas, Nevada concert.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Twenty-seven dead at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Seventeen dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at the Veterans Home in Yountville, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a Nashville, Tennessee Waffle House.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Ten dead at Santa Fe High School, Texas.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at the Capital Gazette Newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at the Fifth Third Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Eleven dead at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Thirteen dead at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at a bank in Sebring, Florida.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Five dead at their homes in Ascension and Livingston parishes, Louisiana.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Six dead at an industrial park in Aurora, Illinois.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at a home in Clinton, Mississippi.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead in Solon Township, Michigan.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Thirteen dead at a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Four dead at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California.
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Twenty dead and twenty six injured at Walmart in El Paso, Texas. 
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Nine dead and twenty six injured in Dayton, Ohio. 
Give to the departed eternal rest
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

All those who have died in any incident of gun violence.
Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

For survivors of gun violence.
Grant them comfort and healing.
Hear us, Lord.

For those who have lost loved ones to gun violence.
Grant them peace.
Hear us, Lord.

For those first responders who care for victims of gun violence.
Protect and strengthen them.
Hear us, Lord.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

[from Bishops United Against Gun Violence]