My dear friends,
In times such as these often our need for centering comes in the form of what we know to be true, scripture and our Book of Common Prayer. I invite you to pray with me over the next several days a couple of prayers. The first is a prayer for peace:
Eternal God, in whom perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the award of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen
The second prayer is for social justice:
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatred cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
In this Sunday’s Old Testament reading, Genesis begins this way: In the beginning God…. God was, is, and will always be. To know this truth is to know a peace that passes all understanding. As we pray for peace let us also remember that God is the source of our strength and endurance to meet the days ahead.
Faithfully,
The Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson, Jr.
Bishop of Louisiana