Pause
Peace is God’s gift to us, given in Christ,
a gift we experience and enjoy now, though not in its completeness.
We believe that peace points beyond itself in hope
to the fullness of time. (Constitution 1)
A Living Sign
by Bonnie B. Belasic
I know not always how God comes,
but that God comes—this I know:
in an obscure stable,
in splashing waters,
in the breaking of bread
and often, my friend,
incarnate in you,
for God, I believe, still comes in the flesh, in people.
Now and always
may the Christ in you
keep you
a sign of living love
and love living among us.
While the energy of our thoughts, speech, and actions is powerful, this energy is infinitely more powerful when we join together with others. When we come together as a group, with a common purpose and commitment to mindful action, we produce an energy of collective concentration far superior to our own individual concentration. This energy further helps us to cultivate compassion and understanding.
— Thich Nhat Hanh, Love Letter to the Earth
Prayer
Eternal God, you made us in your own image,
and became one of us in Jesus Christ.
Look with compassion on the whole human family;
Take away the arrogance and hatred that infect our hearts;
Break down the walls that separate us;
Unite us in bonds of love; and, through our struggle and confusion,
Work to accomplish your purposes on earth;
So that, in your good time,
we learn to live as brothers and sisters,
to serve and love in harmony.
Amen.
Adapted from “A Litany for Healing” by Rev. Adam Thomas
The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love— whether we call it friendship or family or romance—is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light.
— James Baldwin, Nothing Personal
A Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Come spirit of God, grant us the power to be gentle,
the strength to be forgiving, the patience to be understanding,
the endurance to accept the consequences of holding on to what is right.
Come Spirit of God, help us to put our trust
in the power of good to overcome evil,
the power of love to overcome hatred.
— Pax Christi USA, as printed in Good News from the Missions Office, Seattle Archdiocese.
Special thanks to Sister Carmel Little, CSJP, for her preparation of the Weekly Peace Prayer, which can be found on the CSJP website under the Spirituality tab.
This article appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of Living Peace.