Prayer For Our Nation's Homeless
Holy God, we come before You to pray and remember our brothers and sisters who have no home, no shelter, no bed, and no safe place to lay their head. Their lives have been turned inside out for a number of reasonsloss of job, sickness, domestic violence, mental illness and the list goes on.
Help us to be more aware of the immense pain and suffering they endure and move our hearts to respond to their plight. Create in us a heart space for mutual respect, recognizing that all gifts are from You, our Provident God and need to be shared among the many, not only the few.
Help us to dream a new reality where all are welcomed, cared for, and loved. May we live and act in the belief that we are one sacred community. Amen.
God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.
God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.
Amen.
O Jesus, come back into our society,
our family life, our souls
and reign there as our peaceful sovereign.
Enlighten with the splendor of faith
and the charity of your tender heart
the souls of those who work
for the good of the people, for your poor.
Impart in them your own spirit,
a spirit of discipline, order and gentleness,
preserving the flame of enthusiasm
ever alight in their hearts.
May that day come very soon,
when we shall see you
restored to the center of civic life,
borne on the shoulders of your joyful people.
Amen.
O God of Mercy: We hear the persistent call to feed the hungry and find shelter for the
homeless. Stir our hearts to move more deeply in our walk with Jesus.
Help us answer the question, Why do we feel comfortable living beyond our needs
when others do not have their basic needs met?
Help us not be hypocrites of lip service but the disciples of action.
Keep our hearts soft enough to keep hearing the cry of the hungry and the homeless.
Amen.
Hear our prayer today for all women and men, boys and girls who are homeless this day.
For those sleeping under bridges, on park benches, in doorways or bus stations.
For those who can only find shelter for the night but must wander in the daytime.
For families broken because they could not afford to pay the rent.
For those who have no relatives or friends who can take them in.
For those who have no place to keep possessions that remind them who they are.
For those who are afraid and hopeless.
For those who have been let down by our social safety net.
For all these people, we pray that you will provide shelter, security and hope.
We pray that those of us with warm houses not be lulled into complacency and
forgetfulness.
Jesus, help us to see your face in the eyes of every homeless person we meet so that
we may be empowered through word and deed, and through all the means we have, to
bring justice and peace to those who are homeless. Amen.
Almighty God, who loves all His children and is a home to those who are in any need or
trouble; inspire your Church with the spirit of Christ's love, empower us to battle the
scourge of homelessness, and help us to live as one with one another; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
ever world without end. Amen.
Heavenly Father
My neighbour has nowhere to call home: help me be aware.
My neighbour needs love and community: help me be active.
My neighbour is crying out for justice: help me be adamant
to see an end to homelessness. Amen.
O God our Father,
in Jesus you call all
Christian families and homes
to be signs of living faith.
By the light of the Holy Spirit,
lead us to be thankful for the gift of faith,
and by that gift may we grow
in our relationship with Jesus, your Son,
and be confident witnesses to
Christian hope and joy to all we meet.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.