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All of us here at the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative recognize that the violence occurring in Israel and Palestine is weighing heavily on so many in our community and world. While MSJC does not currently have an active volunteer group working on anti-war efforts (as we have in the past), and we honestly share that we are not experts in this century-long conflict, we feel we must speak and pray together.
We know our words may not be enough, or may be too much, and can't heal the wounds of so many in the world that are hurting right now. We choose to center humanity, and so we speak:
- We denounce anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
- We denounce systemic oppression, in all its forms.
- We denounce the killing and hostage-taking of each innocent civilian.
- We denounce military occupation and apartheid.
- We denounce celebrating death.
(Some phrasing above adapted from @laylafsaad on Instagram.)
There cannot be justice where there is oppression. We call for an immediate ceasefire on all of Palestine today, for a returning of all Israeli hostages, for food, water, medicine, and other resources to be delivered to those in Gaza, AND we pray for peace. To some, peace may seem naive. And still we gather to pray:
A PRAYER FOR PEACE IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
(Adapted from Sojourners)
God of Comfort,
send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives
are torn apart by violence and death in Palestine and Israel.
You are the Advocate of the oppressed
and the One whose eye is on the sparrow.
Let arms reach out in healing, rather than aggression.
Let hearts mourn rather than militarize.
God of Justice,
give strength to those whose long work for a just peace
might seem fruitless now. Strengthen their resolve.
Do not let them feel alone. Show us how to support their work
and bolster their courage. Guide religious leaders to model
unity and reconciliation across lines of division.
Guide political leaders to listen with their hearts as they seek peace and pursue it.
Help all people choose the rigorous path of just peace and disavow violence.
God of Love,
we lift up Palestine and Israel — its people, its land, its creatures.
War is a monster that consumes everything in its path.
Peace is a gift shared at meals of memory with Christians, Muslims, and Jews.
Let us burn incense, not children. Let us break bread, not bodies.
Let us plant olive groves, not cemeteries.
We beg for love and compassion to prevail
on all your holy mountains.
God of Mercy,
even now work on the hearts of combatants
to choose life over death, reconciliation over retaliation,
restoration over destruction. Help us resist antisemitism and islamophobia in all its forms,
especially in our own churches. All people, Israelis and Palestinians,
deserve to live in peace and unafraid, with a right to determine
their future together.
God of the Nations,
let not one more child or elder be sacrificed on altars of political expediency.
Keep safe all people from unjust leaders who would exploit
vulnerability for their own distorted ends.
Give wise discernment to those making decisions to pursue peace.
Provide them insight into fostering well-being, freedom, and thriving for all.
Teach all of us to resolve injustices with righteousness, not rockets.
Guard our hearts against retaliation, and give us hearts for love alone.
Strengthen our faith in you, O God of All Flesh,
even when we don’t have clear answers,
so that we may still offer ourselves nonviolently
for the cause of peace.
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