Weekly Peace Prayer

for July 22, 2025
prepared by
Sister Carmel Little, CSJP

Constitutions:
Recalling Jesus’ identification with the prophetic tradition,
we develop a critical, sensitive conscience
regarding religious, social, cultural,
economic, and political realities,
and we direct our efforts
to actions which bring peace through justice. #23

Reading: A reading from the Gospel of Mark (Mark 10:13-16)
People were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
 “Let the little children come to me.  Do not hinder them.
The reign of God belongs to such as these.”  Luke 18:16

Reading: Imagine the Children 
Imagine the children at the US border –
A 5-year-old from Honduras who was taken from his father says:
“The immigration agents separated me from my father right away.
I was very frightened and scared. I cried. I have not seen my father again. 
I have been at this facility for several days. I have not been told how long
II have to stay here. I am frightened, scared, and sad. It is cold at night
when we sleep. I have shoes but no socks.” 

Response:       We pray for peace for the all children of the world

Imagine living in a country where you live in fear-
 A 12-year-old from Guatemala tells us of his hunger: The guards were mean and scary. They yelled at us. One day the guards wanted to know if anyone had snuck food in the cell. They found one kid who was about 15 or 16 years’ old who had a burrito, pudding, and juice. The officials handcuffed his wrists.

I’m so hungry that I’ve woken up in the middle of the night with hunger. I’m too scared to ask the officials here for any more food, even though there is not enough food here for me. I saw a child ask for more food once and the guard told him ‘No, you’ve had your ration.”

Response:       We pray for peace for the all children of the world

Imagine living in a country at war.
Rasha’s 7-year-old daughter Mimi describes the journey from north to south as a scary experience. “It was scary. I saw houses all broken and dead people on the streets. Tanks were the scariest. They look really scary.”, she said. When she is not hiding from the sound of the bombardments, she likes to draw. “I want to draw happy things like before, but nothing is happy anymore”, she said while she explains that now her drawings are based on what she sees: tanks, planes, and dead people.

Mimi wishes the war would end and they could get their lives back, “I used to draw flowers, sunshine, and my family. I wish we could go back to our home and stay safe and alive with my family.”

Response:       We pray for peace for the all children of the world

Imagine living in a country ravaged by war.
 Irpin Savelii is 10 years old. A year ago, he lost his father in the war, who volunteered to defend his hometown. Savelii's uncle and brother went to the front together with his father. "My mom and I were hiding in the garage and watching the rockets fly from Bucha to Irpin, from Irpin to Bucha." One day, Savelii and his mother received a call from his brother. "He said: "I'm wounded, uncle is wounded, but father...". I realized that my father was dead." Savelii's father's body could not be taken away for 10 days because of the heavy fighting. "As a child, I wanted to be a dentist, a doctor. And now, after my father died, I decided to become a soldier." We can't change the past of these children, but our future belongs to them.

Quiet Reflection

Prayer:
Let us pray,
Compassionate God; give us eyes to see and ears to hear those whose very lives cry out for justice.  Break open our hearts and turn our hands and our lives to the service of your people, especially those most in need of your care,

Response: Open our hearts to the needs of our immigrant brothers and sisters.         

For those children forced to flee their countries of origin because of fear, violence, corruption, and poverty:

Response:  Give us ears to hear their cry.

For the president, his staff and Cabinet, for members of Congress and all who are complicit in inflicting suffering and harm on immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees that they repent, end the torture and stop the violence, we pray:

Response: Give them generosity and hospitality of heart...

For the children who have been taken from their families and incarcerated by our government and for those who love them and prayer for their safe return, we pray:

Response: Give us hearts of compassion.

For those good-hearted people watching the suffering of immigrants and feeling powerless to act, that they might embrace their power:

Response: Give them hearts of courage.

And so we pray: 
God, stir-up our hearts. Give us courage to rise up and stop this terrible suffering. Give us the strength, as individuals, as a community and as a society to put an end to these unjust immigration policies.  Give hope to our suffering brothers and sisters, redeem us from our hesitancy to act, and help this country to repent of its violence and brutality. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Adapted from Catholic Day of Action for immigrant children

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