Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day; and all across our nation, people are pausing to thank veterans for their service to our nation.
I must confess that I have some real ambivalence about my own military service. I cannot claim any selfless patriotism as being a motivating factor to my service; rather I (like many others) served because of a percieved lack of opportunity to better myself. That being said; I served proudly and I hope that I served well.

I must be honest and state that I lament that many fine young men and women are led to to military service because of lack of opportunity elswhere.
I lament that the business of war is destoying the lives of men, women and children; as nation upon nation places pursuit of strategic and political gains above the health and welfare of their citizens.
I lament that there is no peace.

Therefore in support of our service members past and present; as well as the military members of all nations; I present this my prayer for veterans and serving military of the world:

Litany For Peace
By Bishop Karl Pruter

Lord, Heavenly Father help us to become peacemakers, that we may be called, “The Children of God”

Lord, hear our prayer, and grant us Thy peace.

Lord, Heavenly Father, help us purge ourselves of those attributes which make not for peace but which set the stage for war.

Lord hear our prayer, and grant us Thy peace.

Lord, open our minds to see ourselves as Thou seest us, or even, as others see us, and save us from all unwillingness to know our infirmities.

Lord, hear our prayer, and grant us Thy peace.

From all hasty utterances of impatience; from the retort of irritation and the taunt of sarcasm; from all infirmity of temper in provoking or being provoked; from love of unkind gossip, and from all idle words that may do hurt, save us, O Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer, and grant us Thy peace.

Grant us, O Lord, the strength to obey Thy commandments, that we defraud our brother in nothing. May we never commit adultery or do anything to disturb our neighbor’s home or family.

Lord, hear our prayer, and grant us Thy peace.

Lord, Heavenly Father, grant that we covet nothing that is our neighbors, neither his house, nor his auto, his bank account, his job, nor anything that is our neighbors.

Lord, hear our prayer, and grant us Thy peace.

Heavenly Father, help us to maintain peace within our own households, with our neighbors in our communities, within our own nations, and in the world.

Lord, hear our prayer, and grant us Thy peace.

Lord, Heavenly Father we pray not only for the absence of war, but more especially for Thy peace, which passeth all understanding.

Lord, hear our prayer, and grant us Thy peace.

Lord, Heavenly Father, grant us Christ’s wish that we may become One with Him, and with Thee; that in union with Thee, we may desire only what Thou dost desire, and thus come to know Thy perfect peace.

Lord, hear our prayer, and grant us Thy peace, this day and for evermore. Amen.