Blessed be the Earth and those who tend her,
for she is the source and sustenance of our lives.

Blessed be the children who hunger for food,
learning, and homes that are safe,
for their future is shaped by our choices today.

Blessed be the refuges fleeing the violence of war and poverty
may they find shelter, peace, and work that sustains them.

Blessed be those who are calling for freedom,
resisting oppression and risking their lives in the struggle for justice,
for they are the shapers of a brighter world.

Blessed be the persecuted and wrongly judged,
for theirs is a sorrow lessened only by mercy and human kindness.

Blessed be the prophets who speak and write of a world beyond war,
for theirs are the words becoming flesh.

Blessed be the story-tellers, music-makers, and artists at life,
for they are the true light of the world.

Blessed be the tender-hearted who mourn and grieve
the wars we've fought, the lives we've lost,
may peace ride in on the river of their tears.

© Jan Phillips 2011

www.worldprayers.org