Several people have graciously written and submitted the following resources, to be used in any way that you may find helpful. They are listed in no particular order.
If you have additional prayers that you would like to submit, please send us an email. Thank you.
General Prayers...
Gracious God, open our eyes to the reality of domestic violence. Give us the understanding and compassion to reach out to both victims and survivors. Give us the courage to call those who abuse to accountability and repentance that lead to justice and healing. Help us to love one another as you have shown us in Jesus Christ who came to give life abundantly.
Creator Parent God, you mold me as a potter turns clay into a work of art. What a dignity I have when I realize your Spirit lives inside me. Help me remember this, no matter how bad it gets. And help me convey this reality to others, especially those who are hurting themselves.
Lord Jesus, lead me, guide me, along the way. If you lead me, I cannot stray. Let me walk each day with thee. Lead me, O Lord, lead me. Help me tread in the paths of righteousness. Be my aid when sin and others oppress me or those dear to me. I put all my trust in thee. Lead me, O Lord, lead me.
Grandmotherly God, help me see my family members and others in my life as you see them. Help me never to forget how precious they are to you and that you have a mission for them as you have a mission for me.
Patient and kind Abba God, please help us remember our sinfulness. Help us be patient and kind whenever we speak. Jesus, you saw and appealed to the goodness in Matthew and Zacchaeus--both tax collectors--to the goodness in the Samaritan woman at the well, and to the goodness in so many others. Help us see past our own shortcomings and those of others. Help us use kind words to encourage the best in ourselves and others.
I praise you God, my Creator, for I am wonderfully made! I praise you, too, for my wonderful companions in this journey toward you, especially those in my own family. Help me always treat others with the respect which I so much want from them.
Jesus, help us get off our pedestals of power and privilege and begin serving and relating to others as you did. Help us reflect the Godhead, in whose image we have been created, by striving to transform our relationships into genuine partnerships. Help us daily to promote your beloved community by each act of mutuality we do.
O God, we offer to you the angers and resentments that we hold close. Touch our deeply wounded heart with your healing hand.
Jesus, your attitudes toward women and service are sorely needed in our own time. Help us men to see the errors and arrogance of our ways. Help us women to find the courage to command the respect we deserve. Help all of us to find the patience to grow together into a new way of being, a way that models your own sacrificial love.
Jesus, I have lost control at times and heaped verbal coals of fire on others--even those I love the most. Please forgive me. Help me to see the hurts and fears in others and to let go of my own. Help me to stay centered, even in the midst of conflict, and to use a vocabulary of love and conciliation.
Jesus, you had kind words for everyone but hypocrites. Help me soften my face, words, and touch. Help me put a smile on my face and a song in my heart. Help me to radiate your love to others. May I never be too busy to welcome a child as you did.
Listening God, teach us to listen with hearts of love and understanding. May we al grow tired of being mean to each other so that we can live in peace.
Jesus, help me to be humble, willing to apologize, make amends, an change any hurtful behavior. Please help me, too, to find the courage and compassion to confront hurtful behavior as you would.
Jesus, give us your tears of compassion. Help us to see and mourn the violence that is killing children. All children are our children because they are your children. If we have time to help only one child, that one will make a difference. Give us the courage to face our fears and turn our tears into deeds of persistent love. Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of the Streets, intercede for all of us.
Jesus, help me root all my efforts in you. Help me seek your guidance and power in prayer and in the power and discernment that come from the community of peacemaking disciples. Let me know run away from challenges because of my weakness, but rather to see in the weakness a chance for your power to work through me. Thank you for your presence and power in my life.
Communal Prayer for Victory over Powers of Darkness
Response: Lord, save us.
For those who dwell in the darkness of prison, especially those unjustly held, we pray...
For those who dwell in the darkness of despair, we pray...
For those who dwell in the darkness of poverty and loneliness, we pray...
For those who dwell in the darkness of hunger for love and respect, we pray...
For those who dwell in the darkness of oppression and fear, we pray...
For those who dwell in the darkness of dependence on drugs and alcohol, we pray...
For those who depend on the power of violence and weapons, we pray...
For those who seek after power over others, we pray...
Litany for God's People:
Response: Lord, with your grace, help us to be people of conscience, compassion, peace and action.
We pray for families. For the love cultivated and for the understanding of human dignity, may our families grow in the love of God... response
We pray for families. For the laughter shared and tears shed; for the experience of community; may our families grow in the love of God... response
We pray for families. For the development of values and the model of just actions... response
We pray for community. We pray for friends and colleagues, past and present; may we seize the opportunity to work together to protect the life, dignity and rights of all people... response
We pray for the poor and oppressed. For the rejections experienced daily, may we recognize what is truly holy by acknowledging the divine presence in our brothers and sisters... response
We pray for the poor and oppressed. For the powerlessness experienced daily, may we recognize what is truly holy by honoring the sacred covenant between God and the poor... response
We pray for the poor and oppressed. For the isolation experienced daily, may we recognize what is truly holy by acting justly, loving tenderly, and walking humbly with God... response
Prayers of the Faithful on Domestic Violence
For Epiphany
That all children may be treated by their parents as if they were the Christ child, and may they never have to fear the wrath of adults like King Herod. Let us pray.
The Baptism of the Lord
That all who are suffering in situations of domestic violence may know that they, too, are the beloved of the Lord, and that He will uphold them. Let us pray.
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
For all those who feel trapped in situations of domestic violence, that they may find their strength in our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the grace to change their situation. Let us pray.
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
That those who walk in the darkness of domestic violence may see the light of Christ, and no longer dwell in gloom. Let us pray.
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
For the lowly and weak, especially those in domestic violence situations, that God will raise them up out of their situation and into His kingdom. Let us pray.
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
That the Holy Catholic Church may always be a light of hope for all who are homeless or oppressed, especially for those in situations of domestic violence. Let us pray.
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
For the leaders of all nations and cultures, that they may one day understand that God does not command anyone to act unjustly or give anyone a license to sin, especially toward one's own spouse and children. Let us pray.
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