Prayer and Social Justice

Catholic “Prayer for Justice and Peace:”

Almighty Father,
may your grace enkindle in us
a love for those unfortunate people
whom poverty and misery reduce
to a condition unworthy
of human beings.
Arouse in us who call you Father
a hunger and thirst for justice,
and for fraternal charity
in deed and in truth.
Grant us, O Lord, peace in our days:
peace to souls,
peace to families,
peace to our country,
and peace to all nations. Amen.[1]

 

Methodist hymn: “O Crucified Redeemer” (second and third verses):

We hear your cry of anguish, we see your life out-poured
where battlefields run red with blood, our neighbors’ blood, O Lord;
and in the other battle, the fight for daily bread,
where might is right and self is king, we see your thorn-crowned head.

The groaning of creation wrung out by pain and care,
The anguish of a million hearts that break in dumb despair;
O crucified Redeemer, these are your cries of pain;
O may they break our selfish hearts, and love come in to reign.[2]

 

“A Thanksgiving Prayer for the Abolition of the African Slave Trade,” Absalom Jones (1808):

Oh thou God of all nations upon the earth! we thank thee, that thou art no respecter of persons, and that thou hast made of one blood all nations of men. We thank thee, that thou hast appeared, in the fullness of time, in behalf of the nation from which most of the worshipping people, now before thee, are descended. We thank thee, that the sun of righteousness has at last shed morning beams upon them. Rend thy heavens, O Lord, and come down upon the earth; and grant that the mountains, which now obstruct the perfect day of thy goodness and mercy towards them, may flow down at they presence….Give peace in our day, we beseech thee, O thou God of peace! And grant, that this highly favoured country may continue to afford a safe and peaceful retreat from the calamities of war and slavery, for ages yet to come. We implore all these blessings and mercies, only in the name of thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. And now, O Lord, we desire, with angels and arch-angels, and all the company of heaven, ever more to praise thee, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty: the whole earth is full of thy glory.”[3]

 

Buddhist Prayer to Give Aid

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

May I become at all times, both now and forever
A protector for those without protection
A guide for those who have lost their way
A ship for those with oceans to cross
A bridge for those with rivers to cross
A sanctuary for those in danger
A lamp for those without light
A place of refuge for those who lack shelter
And a servant to all in need.

 

Catholic Prayer

Prayer to Mary to Help Those in Need

Holy Mary,
help those in need,
give strength to the weak,
comfort the sorrowful,
pray for God’s people,
assist the clergy,
intercede for all people.

Mary all who seek your help
experience your unfailing protection.
Amen.

 

Buddhist

Pledge to Dispel the Misery of the World
Shantideva, 8th century Buddhist monk
Source: The Way of the Bodhisattva

With the wish to free all beings
I will always go for refuge
To the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
Until the attainment of full Enlightenment

Enthused by Compassion and Wisdom
Today in the Buddha’s presence
I generate the Mind of Enlightenment
For the benefit of all sentient beings

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

 

Christian Prayer

Matthew 5:9; Luke 6:27-31
The Holy Bible (New Revised Standard Version)Love Your Enemies

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God…But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

 

Catholic Prayer

Prayer to Save the Afflicted
Clement of Rome (1st Century)

We beseech thee, Master, to be our helper and protector.
Save the afflicted among us; have mercy on the lowly;
raise up the fallen; appear to the needy; heal the ungodly;
restore the wanderers of thy people;
feed the hungry; ransom our prisoners;
raise up the sick; comfort the faint-hearted.

 

Zoroastrian Prayer

Prayer to Eradicate Misery
Source: The Peace Abbey

We pray to God to eradicate all the misery in the world: that understanding triumph over ignorance, that generosity triumphs over indifference, that trust triumphs over contempt, and that truth triumphs over falsehood.

 

Bahai Prayer

Bahá’u'lláh
Prayer for Kindness

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

 

[1] Catholic Prayer Book, compiled by Ruth M. Hannon (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1991), 63-64.
[2] The United Methodist Hymnal: Book of United Methodist Worship (Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989), 425.
[3] James Melvin Washington (ed.), Conversations with God: Two Centuries of Prayers by African Americans (New York: Harper Perennial, 1994), 12-13.