Category: Prayers

Pope St John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) was first published sixty years ago today (11 April 1963), in the midst of the Cold War and with the Vietnam war ongoing. It was two years after the erection of the Berlin Wall and just months after the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of a nuclear third world war.

Written during the first year of Vatican II, it was the first time a major Catholic Social Teaching document was addressed not just to Catholics but to “all people of good will”.

“Peace is but an empty word, if it does not rest upon… an order that is founded on truth, built up on justice, nurtured and animated by charity, and brought into effect under the auspices of freedom.” (#167)

Sixty years after John XXIII published the encyclical Pacem in Terris, Pope Francis renews his message that “war is madness, it is beyond reason.”

In this year’s Easter message Pope Francis prayed “Help the beloved Ukrainian people on their journey towards peace, and shed the light of Easter upon the people of Russia. Comfort the wounded and all those who have lost loved ones because of the war, and grant that prisoners may return safe and sound to their families. Open the hearts of the entire international community to strive to end this war and all conflict and bloodshed in our world, beginning with Syria, which still awaits peace…”

Post your prayer in our sacred space

L’enciclica Pacem in Terris (Pace in Terra) di Papa Giovanni XXIII è stata pubblicata per la prima volta sessant’anni fa (11 aprile 1963), in piena guerra fredda e con la guerra del Vietnam in corso. Due anni dopo l’erezione del Muro di Berlino e pochi mesi dopo che la crisi dei missili di Cuba aveva portato il mondo sull’orlo di una terza guerra mondiale nucleare.

Scritta durante il primo anno del Concilio Vaticano II, fu la prima volta che un importante documento di dottrina sociale cattolica si rivolgeva non solo ai cattolici ma a “tutti gli uomini di buona volontà”.

“La pace non è che una parola vuota, se non poggia su… un ordine fondato sulla verità, costruito sulla giustizia, nutrito e animato dalla carità e attuato sotto gli auspici della libertà.” (#167)

Sessant’anni dopo che Giovanni XXIII pubblicò l’enciclica Pacem in terris, Papa Francesco rinnova il suo messaggio che “la guerra è una follia, è al di là della ragione”.

Nel suo messaggio pasquale Papa Francesco ha pregato “Aiuta l’amato popolo ucraino nel suo cammino verso la pace, e diffondi la luce della Pasqua sul popolo russo. Conforta i feriti e tutti coloro che hanno perso i loro cari a causa della guerra, e concedi che i prigionieri possano tornare sani e salvi alle loro famiglie. Apri i cuori di tutta la comunità internazionale affinché si impegnino a porre fine a questa guerra e a tutti i conflitti e gli spargimenti di sangue nel nostro mondo, a cominciare dalla Siria, che ancora attende la pace…”.

Pubblica la tua preghiera nel nostro spazio sacro

We invite you to pray with us for our sisters and for the people of Chiclayo and the whole Lambayeque region of northern Peru who are experiencing such devastation from torrential rains.

Messages from the sisters in Puerto Eten over the past few days are full of concern for the people of their area who are facing severe damage to their homes, loss of crops/livelihood, destruction of roads, bridges and other infrastructure, and buildup of debris. So far, our sisters are safe, but the forecast for the area shows no letup of the rains.

Please keep them and all the people of Peru being affected by the disastrous flooding in prayer.

Post your prayer in our sacred space here

Les invitamos a rezar con nosotros por nuestras hermanas y por la población de Chiclayo y de toda la región de Lambayeque, en el norte de Perú, que está sufriendo los estragos de las lluvias torrenciales.

Los mensajes de las hermanas de Puerto Eten de los últimos días están llenos de preocupación por la población de la zona, que se enfrenta a graves daños en sus hogares, pérdida de cosechas y medios de subsistencia, destrucción de carreteras, puentes y otras infraestructuras, y acumulación de escombros. Hasta ahora, nuestras hermanas están a salvo, pero las previsiones para la zona no indican que las lluvias vayan a amainar.

Por favor, rezad por ellas y por todos los peruanos afectados por las desastrosas inundaciones.

Publica tu oración en nuestro espacio sagrado aquí

 

The Feast of the Annunciation is celebrated annually on 25 March. This event is described in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1, verses 26-38.

Sr Elizabeth was invited by Redemptorist TV some years ago to record a series on Mary. Among these is the video “Mary of the Annunciation and Pentecost” (5:40). You might like to use this video for reflection on the meaning and significance of today’s feast.

The complete series of 14 videos can be watched here

La fiesta de la Anunciación se celebra anualmente el 25 de marzo. Este acontecimiento se describe en el Evangelio de Lucas (capítulo 1, versículos 26-38).

Hace algunos años, Sor Isabel fue invitada por Redemptorist TV a grabar una serie sobre María. Entre ellas se encuentra el vídeo “María de la Anunciación y Pentecostés” (5:40). Puede utilizar este vídeo para reflexionar sobre el sentido y el significado de la fiesta de hoy.

La serie completa de 14 vídeos puede verse aquí

Traducción realizada con la versión gratuita del traductor www.DeepL.com/Translator

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is sharing materials for a ‘Week of Prayer for Overcoming Racism and Xenophobia’ in the week that includes the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March and the UN International Day for the Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade on 25 March.

The week of prayer – focusing on people who continue to suffer from racial discrimination and xenophobia in various parts of the world – begins today, 19 March. The WCC is providing materials for each day that include songs, scripture passages, reflections, and more.

Collectively, the material shows how a just and inclusive world is possible only when all are able to live with dignity and justice. Many nations and peoples-from India to Guyana and other countries-are highlighted in the reflections, which are appropriate for both individuals and groups.

The UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is held on the anniversary of the day police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid in 1960.

The prayers are an invitation to stand in prayerful solidarity with one another across regions, and condemn all manifestations of racial injustice.

Download the daily prayers for the Week of Prayer for Overcoming Racism and Xenophobia here

 

El Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) está compartiendo materiales para una “Semana de oración por la superación del racismo y la xenofobia” en la semana que incluye el Día Internacional de las Naciones Unidas para la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial, el 21 de marzo, y el Día Internacional de las Naciones Unidas en Recuerdo de las Víctimas de la Esclavitud y la Trata Transatlántica de Esclavos, el 25 de marzo.

La semana de oración, centrada en las personas que siguen sufriendo discriminación racial y xenofobia en diversas partes del mundo, comienza hoy, 19 de marzo. El CMI proporciona material para cada día, que incluye canciones, textos bíblicos, reflexiones y mucho más.

En conjunto, el material muestra cómo un mundo justo e inclusivo sólo es posible cuando todos pueden vivir con dignidad y justicia. Muchas naciones y pueblos -desde la India hasta Guyana y otros países- se destacan en las reflexiones, que son apropiadas tanto para individuos como para grupos.

El Día Internacional de las Naciones Unidas para la Eliminación de la Discriminación Racial se celebra en el aniversario del día en que la policía de Sharpeville (Sudáfrica) abrió fuego y mató a 69 personas en una manifestación pacífica contra el apartheid en 1960.

Las oraciones son una invitación a la solidaridad en la oración entre todas las regiones y a la condena de todas las manifestaciones de injusticia racial.

Descargue aquí las oraciones diarias de la Semana de Oración por la Superación del Racismo y la Xenofobia.

 

Join us in prayer for the people of  Türkiye and Syria who have been devastated by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake on 6 February, now recognised as the sixth-most-deadly natural disaster this century.

The loss of life, the injuries, the destruction of buildings, the displacement of peoples and the critical needs of the citizens are extraordinary.

You can post your prayer in our online prayer space here.

You might like to pray these words;

“Be present, O Lord, our Good Shepherd, to bring comfort, relief, shelter and human kindness. Shield the people who suffer, console those who are bereaved, prosper the provision of relief, strengthen the work of emergency teams, and shine your light and hope in the midst of despair.” (Diocese of Europe)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched two emergency appeals. Find out more here