A Prayer for Peace: Ukraine and the Masters of War

Send us Fan MailWords and Voice: Jon SwalesMusic: Blue Nights by Juan SanchezFather of Creation,God of Peace,We thank you for your Son, Jesus,Who proclaimed & enacted a kingdom of peace.A kingdom in which divine favour and blessing rests on those,Who are peacemakers &Justice seekers.A kingdom in which divine favour and blessing rests on those,Who renounce politics of power and violence,And instead take the way of self giving sacrificial love.Father of Creation,God of Justice,The beasts of militarism and imperial conquest,Are at the the gates of Europe.And our twitter feeds and news channels are filled with images and soundsOf brave defiance,Tearful farewells,Children cowering in underground shelters,A Ukrainian  soldier in a news interview saying ‘I love you Tato and Mama’. Lord have mercy,Christ have mercy,Blessed are the PeacemakersFather of Creation,God of Peace,War is hell,And from the pit comes death and desolationIn which bloodshed and butcheryStrike fear into ordinary people living ordinary lives. Lord have mercy,Christ have mercy,Blessed are the peacemakers.And so we lift up to you the Ukrainian people ;We pray for those who this day will die,And those who will mourn.We pray for those who this day will flee their homes,And those who stay put in fearful defiance.We pray for those with calm and courage,And those in acute anxiety and distressLord have mercy,Christ have mercy,Blessed are the peacemakersAnd so we lift up to you the people of Russia;For those who protest the misuse of power,Grant them wisdom and courage.For those who encourage peace,Grant them wisdom and courage.For those soldiers considering insubordination,Grant them wisdom and courage. Lord have mercy,Christ have mercy.Blessed are the Peacemakers .And so we pray for those who collude with war;For Putin and the warmongers,Bring repentance and resignation.For the Russian military-industrial complex ,Bring confusion and administrative collapse.For the masters of war and those who profit from conflict,Bring about their downfall.Lord have mercy,Christ have mercy,Blessed are the peacemakers.Father of Creation,God of Peace,We thank you for your Son, Jesus,Who proclaimed and enacted a kingdom of peace.A kingdom in which divine favour and blessing rests on those,Who are peacemakers &Justice seekers God, our refuge and strength,bring near the day when wars shall cease and poverty and pain shall end,that earth may know the peace of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen