A Prayer for Peace

Peace pole at Presbyterian Church of Orland Park (IL)

Do you remember
this is the day
that Earth Wind and Fire
inked in red
with their unforgettable hit “September?”

And lest we forget,
let me remind you
that today is also
the International Day of Peace.

On this twisting and turning planet
where politicians are poles apart
and the magnetic pull of pride draws
unnecessary lines in the sand,
join me in praying for peace today…

“May peace prevail on earth we ask.
Help us, dear God, to own our task
admitting when we know we’re wrong
and righting what we can.

May we commit to speak the truth
refraining from what is uncouth.
And may we listen with both ears
to those whose truth we’ve shunned.

May kindness punctuate our days
as we eschew our former ways
of getting even for some pain
another might have caused.

May tolerance and compromise
cause folks to see Christ in our eyes
as we determine every day to love as Jesus loved.

And may Saint Francis‘ prayer for peace
leap from our lips and never cease
to codify what we desire:
to be God’s instruments.“

And speaking of SEPTEMBER by Earth, Wind and Fire, enjoy!