Weekly Peace Prayer

for August 25, 2026

prepared by
Sister Carmel Little, CSJP ‍

Weekly, members of our Congregation, associates, staff, friends, and family throughout the United States and the United Kingdom pray for peace. Some gather in groups, while others pray in solitude using the prayer on this page, composed by Carmel Little, CSJP.

If you would like to view the livestream of the prayer service at St. Mary on the Lake in Bellevue, Washington, please visit this page on Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Scroll down to view the video player.

Constitutions:
Our call to peacemaking
permeates all aspects of our lives together.
It seeks expression in mutual love and concern.
It challenges us to accept and share our gifts
and empower others to do likewise.
It pervades our prayer
and calls us to a life of simplicity and service. #15

Prayer:

The Benediction               Wellsprings, Anthony de Mello

Today I choose to pray for others.
But how shall I impart to them
the gift of peace and love
if my own heart is still unloving
and I have no peace of mind myself?

So I start with my heart;
I hold before the Lord
each feeling of resentment, anger, bitterness
that may still be lurking there,
asking that his grace
will make it yield to love someday
if not right now.

Then I seek peace:
I list the worries that disturb my peace of mind
and imagine that I place them in God’s hands
in the hope that this will bring me respite from anxiety
at least during this time of prayer.

Then I seek the depth that silence brings,
for prayer that springs from silence
is powerful and effective.
So, I listen to the sounds around me
or become aware of the feelings
and sensations in my body
or my breathing in and out.

Quiet Reflection

First, I pray for people whom I love.
Over each of them I say a blessing:
“May you be safe from harm and evil,”
imagining that my words create
a protective shield of grace around them.

Then I move on to people I dislike
and people who dislike me.
Over each of them I say this prayer:
“May you and I be friends someday.”
imagining some future scene
where this comes to pass.

I think of anxious people whom I know,
people who are depressed.
To each of them I say:
“May you find peace and joy,”
imagining that my wish for them becomes reality.

I think of people who are handicapped,
people who are in pain, and say:
“May you find strength and courage,”
imagining that my words unleash resources
within each of them. 

Quiet Reflection

I think of lonely people:
people lacking love
or separated from their loved ones,
and to each of them I say:
“May God’s abiding company be yours.”

I think of older people who,
with the passing of each day,
must face the reality of approaching death,
and to each of them I say:
“May you find the grace to joyfully let go of life.”

I think of the young and recite this prayer:
“May the promise of your youth be met
and your life be fruitful.”

Finally, I say to each of the people I live with:
“May my contact with you be a grace for both of us.”
I come back to my heart now to rest awhile
in the silence that I find there
and in the loving feeling
that has come alive in me
as a consequence of my prayer for others.    

Quiet Reflection                   
God of peace, we pray for your presence among the people in all parts of our world that are suffering the effects of war. Fill every heart with your love and mercy. Challenge our understanding of justice and peace and encourage us to act in your way.  God, grant the whole world peace. Amen

Blessing:
May God bless you with peace.
May God uphold you with grace.
May God send you into the world
to overcome violence in all that you do.
Amen.