Prayer Offered for May 27, 2022

On this Memorial Day Weekend, we pray:

In memory of all the dead

who gave their lives in any war—

and of the survivors still broken

in body or spirit.

In memory of the veterans, activists, and original thinkers

persecuted, imprisoned, punished, and killed

for defending others’ rights to freedom.

In memory of teachers in every land

who proclaim every day

in a hundred ways:

Be that which you want to see in the world.

In memory of each of us, waking up slowly

to the miracle of our lives, opening our eyes

[again, and again and again] to the sacredness of the other.

Gracious God, we ask You to bless not only the great sacrifices of our brothers and sisters in uniform but every little step we take for the sake of mending our world.—AMEN.