Category: Prayer

A Prayer for Peace in Ukraine: Господи помилуй, Lord have Mercy

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When we are lost for words, prayers and laments like this one by Rev Jon Swales can help us express our heart’s desire to our Almighty God.

Father of Creation,
God of Peace,

The world has changed,
And so have our hearts,
As we face disappointment, 
disorientation and distress
Not knowing what will happen next.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Putin and the Masters of War
Have opened the door to the beasts of war,
And it may overwhelm us.
Who is like the beast?
Who can fight against it?

Yet our grief, anxiety and fear
is nothing compared to that faced
by ordinary people living in Ukraine.

So we pray for,
The brave and the scared,
The soldier and civilian,
The elderly and the newborn,

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy. 

And so we pray for,
Those who have decided to fight,
Those who have decided to flee,
Those who resist but choose not to kill.

Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy.

And so we pray for 
Those who this day will be wounded,
Those who this day will die,
Those who this day will mourn. 

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy

Father of Compassion,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

We look to you,
In a world at war,
For hope, healing and help,
For grace, goodness and guidance,
For the cessation of war and the flourishing of peace.

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy. 

Father of Peace,
God of Hope, 

After crucifixion,
Your Son was laid silent in the grave,
And then you spoke and he was raised to life.

Violence does not win,
It will not have the last word,
Death does not win,
It will not have the last word.

In the reconciliation of all things,
War will be no more.
In the reconciliation of all things,
All tears will be wiped away.
In the reconciliation of all things,
There will be a tree for the healing of the nations. 

Lord have mercy,

Christ have mercy.

Hospody pomyluy, Господи помилуй

Christ have mercy. 

Amen

To listen to this prayer being read by Rev Jon Swales, please click on the link below:

Lament and Hope: Prayers for Peace and Justice: A Prayer for Peace in Ukraine

You can find more laments, prayers and poems on the same podcast site, some are about the climate change disaster, some were in response to Covid, and there are more about the Ukraine as well.

Rev Jon Swales is Lighthouse Mission Priest (C of E) at Lighthouse West Yorkshire, which is is a fresh expression of church and registered Leeds-based charity which reaches out to those who are battered and bruised by the storms of life.

‘Healer of all Hurts, how long?’ – A Lament by Jon Swales

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Father God,
Healer of All Hurts.
We come to you in our hour of need saying.

How Long? O Lord.
How Long?

We find our ourselves caught up in the storm of Covid.
We feel stranded and alone,
Cut off from those we love.

How Long? O Lord.
How Long.

We face shipwreck and catastrophe,
Battered and bruised by the storm of this pandemic.

Our nation is in peril,
Our NHS is stretched,
Our Souls feel anxious and afraid.

How Long? O Lord.
How Long?

Healer of all hurts,
We come to you in our hour of need pleading.

That you would still the wind and waves,


And act,
And move,
And comfort,
And heal,
And embrace us in your healing hands.

Covenant God,
Father of Lights,
We bring before your tender love.

Those who are sick,
Lord have mercy, Christ Have mercy.

Front Line workers for protection and resilience,
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

For energy and patience for those homeschooling,
Lord have mercy, Christ Have mercy.

For the vulnerable and those shielding,
Lord have mercy, Christ Have mercy.

For ourselves in our boredom, frustration and anxiety.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

Father God,
Healer of All Hurts.
We come to you in our hour of need praising you,
That you do not leave us,
or forsake us.
You have shown your love to us in Jesus.

Covenant God,
Father of Lights,
We come to you in our hour of need praising you,
That there is not a hurt you will not heal.
Nor a tear you will not wipe away.
You have shown your love to us in Jesus.

We praise you that in Jesus is a balm to soothe our souls.
We praise you that in Jesus there is always hope.
We praise that in Jesus all will be well.

Until that day,
We Weep and Pray.

How Long? O Lord,
How Long?

Written by Rev Jon Swales, January 2021

Jon is Lighthouse Mission Priest (C of E) at Lighthouse West Yorkshire, which is is a fresh expression of church and registered Leeds-based charity which reaches out to those who are battered and bruised by the storms of life.

Find out more on their website.

Fantastic quality prayer booklets/bookmarks – ideal for sending at Christmas

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Whilst on one of my ‘journeys’ poking around the world wide web, I stumbled across this excellent organisation ‘The Prayer Trust ‘.

Started in 2000 under the leadership of Father Pat Sayles, the Trust produces a whole host of prayer booklets, bookmarks, cards and even some CDs. 

On browsing through the items on the website I found a long list of varied items all at extremely affordable prices, so I put in an order.

With bookmarks at 5p, booklets at 10p or above and notecards at 6 for £1.00, I was thinking the printing may be cheaper quality and the paper rather flimsy, but I was absolutely delighted when I opened my package to find high quality gloss booklets with excellent vibrant colours.

The picture above shows most of my haul (some items have already found their way to friends and family), for which I paid the princely sum of less than £7.00 (and that was including an optional extra donation).

The website says: ‘Having spent years in Peru as a Columban Father, Fr Pat is aware of the uplifting  power of prayer across the world,’ and the aim of the Trust is to ‘encourage the use of prayer by everyone, everywhere’. They express their passion like this:  

‘Our hope is that those who use these little books will want to share them with others – with friends and relatives, with neighbours and colleagues, with those who might be ill or suffering, or those who feel far away from the Lord’s love.’

I thought I would share some pictures of items I bought so that you can see them in more detail, and whet your appetite.

Bookmarks

There are many different bookmarks with beautiful pictures and prayers on the back.

Booklets

There are many more booklets, some longer than others, all with lovely images with the prayers.

Cards

These are Notecards, but there are also Greetings Cards including Christmas cards at 10p each.

Folding Bookmarks

These are an ingenious idea, with seven sides of prayers or quotes in one folding bookmark.

This Advent Folding Bookmark entitled ‘Come Lord Jesus’ explains the ‘O Antiphons’.

On the order list on the website there are several Advent and Christmas items available now to order.

So why not head over to their website and take a look!

Please note that not everything has a photo on the website, so use the order form to see all the available items listed. You will need to make your choices and then print off the order to send with a cheque. It may take a few days for them to process the order as some volunteers are unable to go to the building at the moment, but you will not be disappointed when they arrive!

Take a look at the website and place your order: The Prayer Trust

Enjoy 3 Minute retreats at home

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Loyola Press provide ‘3 minute retreats’ for each day that you can easily access at your computer whenever you want.

One of our readers alerted me to this precious resource and I thought I would share it with you all.

The website says:

‘3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage.’

‘Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.’

Each retreat has a lovely picture accompanying it, and you can listen to the music audio if you want. The first screen prepares you by prompting you to pause and breathe.

It is followed on the next screen by a short passage from Scripture and then a brief narrative comment/reflection on the passage. Next come a couple of questions for your own reflection, and lastly a prayer.

Why not try out today’s retreat ?
Or choose one from the list of past retreats..

You can also sign up for daily email alerts or download the app for your phone.

Thanks are due to the Loyola Press for all their work to help us learn and reflect each day. There are also many other places you can access daily prayers and readings, some of which are mentioned on our page about mass and prayers online.

Prayer week focusing on prayer for/with Older People

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From Sun 7th June – Sat 13th June The Pilgrim’s Friend Society are having a week of prayer for older people and the issues affecting them.

Take a look at this user friendly prayer resource, or check out their blog posts throughout the week including blogs from Faith in Later Life and Linking Lives on topical issues about later life.

The prayer resource is excellent for use at any time, why not print it off and use it as a prompt whenever you need it.

Why not also take a look at the other excellent free resources on the Pilgrim’s Friends website including resources for churches and detailed dementia information sheets, or their helpful booklets. You will be sure to find something that is helpful for you or your church/organisation.

Seeking is Seeing

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I have recently discovered this Prayer, from an anonymous source, which I find very reassuring. I hope you find it helpful too:
 Seeking God is as good as seeing God.picture of Julian of Norwich

Who, but a saint,

Would know so clearly

That the journey is the reality,

The steps are sight,

The effort is reward,

The seeing is the searching,

The dream is the reality?

Seeking God is seeing God.

 Julian of Norwich