I remember being in St Peter Square on January 1, 2011 with the St Richard Youth Choir, listening the message of peace for the world proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, a peace message that the Popes always pray with the world at the new year. I recently saw in the news that the city of Jackson had 153 homicides in 2021, giving us a homicide rate per resident that is the highest in the nation, almost double the rate in cities like New Orleans and Memphis. That is an incredibly sad statistic. My hometown of Chicago had a large increase in the number of homicides in 2021, like many other big cities in our country. A friend of mine in the San Francisco area had his truck broken into and had his two bicycles stolen. He showed me a photo of a car parked on the street where the owner had a hand-written note attached to the window of the car, pleading that no one break into his car, that it had no valuables in it. This is all happening while attendance at church is down and many people are claiming that they are no religious. It should sadden all people to see this violence and division that exists in society today.
It is important that we work for justice and that we pray for peace. In my homily this upcoming weekend on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I am going to talk about the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, which are tangible actions we can take to work for peace.
I would like to share with you a prayer for peace in our communities that was adapted from the US Bishops a few years ago. Blessings to all of you. Have a blessed end to your week. I hope to see you all at Mass this weekend as we commemorate the end of the Christmas season.
Father Lincoln
PRAYER FOR PEACE IN OUR COMMUNITIES
Let us pray: O Lord our God, in your mercy and kindness, no thought of ours is left unnoticed, no desire or concern of ours is ignored. You have proven that blessings abound when we fall down on our knees in prayer, and so we turn to you with our needs. So many of our communities are filled with violence and cries for justice. In our midst, we hear your voice telling us what is required: “Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Fill us with your mercy so that we, in turn, may be merciful to others. Strip away pride, suspicion, and racism, so that we may seek peace and justice in our communities. Strengthen our hearts so that they may beat only to the rhythm of your holy will. Shine your light on our path as we walk humbly toward a future that is filled with hope and reconciliation, encounter and unity. Be with us, O Lord, in our efforts, for only by the prompting of your grace can we progress toward virtue. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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