Daily Prayers for April 27
On April 27, 1977, mothers of abducted children in Buenos Aires, Argentina, held their first rally for the “disappeared.” The mothers organized after losing numerous children during Argentina’s Dirty War between 1976 and 1983. Many of the children were tortured and killed during this time. The military claims that nine thousand such children are unaccounted for, while the mothers say it is closer to thirty thousand.
O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you
as the day rises to meet the sun.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Come, let us bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
Song “O Mary, Don’t You Weep”
God, grant me courage : that I may plant seeds of peace.
Psalm 120:1 – 3, 6 – 7
When I was in trouble, I called to the Lord : I called to the Lord, and he answered me.
Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips : and from the deceitful tongue.
What shall be done to you, and what more besides : O you deceitful tongue?
Too long have I had to live : among the enemies of peace.
I am on the side of peace : but when I speak of it, they are for war.
God, grant me courage : that I may plant seeds of peace.
Leviticus 23:1 – 22 1 Peter 2:1 – 10
God, grant me courage : that I may plant seeds of peace.
Contemporary Christian activist Jim Wallis has said, -“People who believe in war leave all behind, prepared to die: what price are we prepared to pay to be a -people who believe in peace? Those who keep faith to the end will know their weakness the best. God, grant me the courage; help me, that I may plant seeds of peace.”
Prayers for Others
Our Father
We profess to be -people of peace, Lord, but keep us from the temptation to proclaim peace when there is no peace. Show us today where peace is most needed in our community and in our world. Show us which of us must plant the seeds of peace, which of us must water them, and which of us must yet become gardeners of your peace. Amen.
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you;
may he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm;
may he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you;
may he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.
