Prayer Service for Reconciliation

Greeting

Leader:
God of wisdom and compassion, who has given us another day to use our gifts and talents for the sake of others, inspire us with renewed commitment and energy.

All:
Let us give thanks for God's blessings.


Hymn

Leader:
Instill in women of our time a lively awareness of the need for reconciliation with others in our parish and our Church.  Help us to heed your call to be messengers of the religious and moral values that are necessary for building a true and lasting peace.

Prayer (read by alternate sides)

Left:
May God guide us in the ways of love, unity, justice, and peace.  God, creator of all that is good, thank you for the gift of life.

Right:
Grant us the ability to grow and to change in response to your call for reconciliation.

Left:
O God, thank you for creating us male and female, equal in dignity to serve you with our gifts and talents.

Right:
Grant us the foresight and wisdom to assign responsibilities and tasks in our parish to people based on their talents and gifts.

Left:
Thank you, O God of wisdom, for the many gifts you have given your people and for the many ways women have used those gifts in our parish, in our Church, and in society.

Scripture reading

Stories illustrating women's leadership abilities in fostering reconciliation and peace: women at the foot of the cross (Mt. 27:45-56), Mary at Cana (Jn 2:1-10); women at the tomb (Mt 28:1-10).

Comment on reading

Leader or another person connects the reading to our lives today, stressing women's gifts in promoting reconciliation at home, in the community, and in the Church.

Litany of Peace

Leader:
We promote peace when we...

• Create in our parish an atmosphere where dialogue flourishes and disagreements are resolved through greater understanding of each other
  RESPONSE: Lord, make us messengers of your peace
  
  
• Respect and promote the dignity of all people--men and women, young and old, rich and poor (Response)
  
  
• Enable women to serve our parish in various ways, judged by their gifts and skills and not discriminated against because of their gender (Response)
  
  
• Facilitate women's sharing of their gifts in leadership roles in all areas of church life (Response)
  
  
• Make our parishes truly welcoming places, where people in distress or trouble can turn for help. (Response)
  
  
• Promote the use of inclusive language in homilies, in the parish's written materials, and at meetings (Response)
  
  
• Promote Christ's message of peace by using language that is gentle and sensitive to the situation of our listeners (Response)
  
  
• Use homilies to denounce violence against women, whether physical, sexual, or emotional (Response)

Concluding Prayer or Hymn

(Reprinted from Strengthening the Bonds of Peace: Parish Resource Packet)