No sooner had the January issue of Wisdom been sent to our readership, and the steering committee of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders convened for its periodic meeting. The steering committee felt that as religious leaders and believers, we must respond in some way to the Gaza crisis. This led to the formulation of the following prayer. Feel free to share it with any other religious group, interfaith organization or friends. Some have told us they have put it on their facebook page. In whatever way you chose, join us in prayer and in helping spread this prayer. We would be grateful if you would acknowledge Elijah as you share this prayer with others. We also look forward to your responses to the newsletter to which this prayer is a supplement.

With prayers for peace,

Alon Goshen-Gottstein

 

 

Source of all grace, love and compassion

We, the leaders and faithful of all World Religions, are pained at the situation of our humanity,

We are pained by our global conflicts,

We are pained, in particular today, by the suffering experienced by the Israeli and Palestinian people, who are caught in a violent conflict in Gaza and Southern Israel.

We offer our pain in prayer and in aspiration, appealing to the goodness of humanity, without taking sides,

We recognize we are powerless to change events on the ground, yet we believe in the power of prayer to change hearts, to effect a spiritual change that can ultimately bring about peace in the world.

For this we pray:

Inspire us with your divine mercy so

That our hearts may be full of compassion, not of anger and the desire for retaliation,

That our hearts may be instruments of forgiveness, not of revenge

That we may experience genuine love, not hate.

Whatever action we undertake, let it not be guided by hate or revenge, but by concern for the greater good of all.

May we always recall the preciousness of every life and minimize unneeded hurt

May we always appreciate our deep interconnectedness, as common citizens of one earth.

May we always recall the unity of the family of humankind and realize that in some way every attack on the other is an attack on our very selves

We ask for protection for all.

We ask that women, children and non-combatants not be drawn into the conflict, through the willful or unwillful actions of either side

We ask for protection for our hearts, lest they become hardened at the sight of suffering,

In all our actions, we ask for compassion for the suffering that surrounds us.

We pray that all are endowed with wise judgment and a compassionate heart, as they undertake their duties.

We pray that those who hold powerful tools in their hands have the wisdom when to use them and when to refrain from using them.

We pray that we may have the wisdom to use the opportunities provided by technology for human welfare and wellbeing

Grant us leaders who may be inspired by you to lead us towards love and peace, and not increase hate and violence.

May our own words, as leaders of the faithful, arise from the depth of prayer.

May they never incite or be the source of suffering and violence.

May our words have the power to heal and soothe rather than to incite and inflame.

Source of grace, love and compassion, grant us, here on earth, your peace, your Salam, your Shalom

 The Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders Steering Committee

 

 

 

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