Pope Francis has called on all Catholics to pray for peace. This Saturday, September 7.
You. Me. Everyone.
The Holy Father is asking Catholics and people of all faiths to join together on the vigil of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – for a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria.
In his Sunday audience, Pope Francis said:
“All men and women of good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace. I make a forceful and urgent call to the entire Catholic Church, and also to every Christian of other confessions, as well as to followers of every religion and to those brothers and sisters who do not believe: peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs all of humanity!”
Pope Francis’ two predecessors saw first-hand the devastation of the Second World War. But Francis has also known war as violence raged in his home country of Argentina during the 1970s.
We are all today are understandably anxious and weary about our country getting engulfed in yet another conflict in the Middle East. Our political leaders are reviewing the evidence and debating the options. As citizens, it is difficult to fully assess all of the evidence and weigh all the options available.
But we know from our recent history that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq did not go as planned. War never does. And we know that a conflict in Syria risks igniting a separate conflict with Iran and potentially others in the region. And we know that the Syrian rebels include many terrorists allied with Al Qaeda.
Yes, the use of force is sometimes justified and necessary. In our fallen world, the use of force may be needed to repel aggressors and bring about peace. But the cost of war in blood, treasure, and culture is incalculable and lasting. Recall what Blessed John Paul II warned: War is always a defeat for humanity.
So this Saturday, let’s take up this challenge from our Pope.
Please pray for peace.
We can pray to other Mother in Heaven, Mary, Queen of Peace. As our Holy Father said on Sunday: “Let us ask Mary to help us to respond to violence, to conflict and to war, with the power of dialogue, reconciliation and love. She is our mother: may she help us to find peace; all of us are her children! Help us, Mary, to overcome this most difficult moment and to dedicate ourselves each day to building in every situation an authentic culture of encounter and peace.”
Here is a prayer to Mary, Immaculate Queen of Peace, you can use on Saturday:
Most holy and immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our loving Mother, being his Mother, you shared in his universal kingship. The prophets and angels proclaimed him King of peace. With loving fervor in our hearts we salute and honor you as Queen of peace.
We pray that your intercession may protect us and all people from hated and discord, and direct our hearts into the ways of peace and justice which your Son taught and exemplified. We ask your maternal care for our Holy Father who works to reconcile the nations in peace. We seek your guidance for our President and other leaders as they strive for world peace.
Glorious Queen of peace, grant us peace in our hearts, harmony in our families and concord throughout the world. Immaculate Mother, as patroness of our beloved country, watch over us and protect us with your motherly love. Amen.
From Aid to the Church in Need (UK):
Please pray this Litany for Syria:
Immaculate Heart of Mary Pray for Syria
Immaculate Heart of Mary Pray for Syria
Immaculate Heart of Mary Pray for Syria
St. Joseph, patron and protector of the Universal Church Pray for Syria
Martyrs of Syria and the Middle East Pray for Syria
Saints of Syria and the Middle East Pray for Syria
Please also pray for the safe return of Archbishops Boulos Yazigi and Johanna Ibrahim from Syria, who were kidnapped in April 2013.
Catholicism Pure & Simple 
Reblogged this on Catholic4Life and commented:
I hope and pray everybody in the world will participate. As the Great Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “We may not be able to meet in the same church but we can meet on our knees!” We should count our Blessings, we still have the freedom to go to church and pray. An added blessing, Saturday is also “First Saturday”, a day dedicated to our Lady.
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Yes, the use of force is sometimes justified and necessary.”
Is this one of those "sometimes"?
How can we tell?
Other than in retrospect?
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Toad, along with everyone, will duly pray for peace this Saturday.
What are we trying to do?
persuade God not to allow the war to happen?
Or what?
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No Toad, God didn’t cause this war or the chaos subsequently. We managed that quite well on our own. We will pray for wisdom for world leaders, we will pray for the displaced people, of all faiths and none. We will pray that at a moment when total chaos seems inevitable justice and peace will prevail. We will also give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy whilst not taking for granted that such will always be available to us.
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Then why isn’t Russia being Consecrated to the Immaculate Heart Of Mary by the Pope and All the Bishops because this hasn’t been done. Look Rome has known for 53 years what Heaven has requested for Peace.
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I didn’t suggest for a moment that God “causes” wars Gertrude, perish the thought!
It’s just that He rather seems to “tolerate,” them.
Presumably He could prevent them if He wanted. I’d prevent wars, if I could.
Are you saying that we should not pray, “Dear God, please don’t let this war get started?”
Seems a perfectly reasonable prayer to Toad.
Can someone give examples of a “just” war”?
The Second World War?
Would it still have been just if the Nazis had won?
Hitler and the Germans would presumably have thought so.
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In my youth Kahlil Gibran was de riguer, and on the subject of just war I recall reading (in Sand & Foam) “..it was a just war – my son died in it”. I would, in my dotage find it difficult to comprehend any war being ‘just’, but realise that conflict seems to be ingrained in the human disposition.
It would be quite easy to look back through history and cite examples of wars deemed to be ‘just’, and no doubt some would declare the bombing of Hiroshima ‘just’ as it was supposed to have hastened the end of WW2. The bottom line of war is that it is usually the innocent that bear the greatest part of the suffering as we are seeing in areas of conflict throughout the world, and especially at this time in Syria. One does of course wish it had actually never started, but the status of power is, to some leaders, an aphrodisiac and will be fought over to be preserved.
I, along with you Toad, and I am sure most of the free world will in fact join with the Holy Father and prayerfully spend this Saturday praying for peace in Syria and all areas of conflict.
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Amen, Gertrude.
Prayers will, at least, do no harm.
As far as I can see.
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Toad,
To your question at 12:17 yesterday, asking whether this occasion (bombing Syria) is one of those times when “force is justified”, I personally would reply “No, it is not!” How can what one supposes is a punishment on a independent government by another one, who is not involved with the conflict, be justifiable? There is no firm evidence of who actually committed the vile chemical attack on innocent people anyway, and yet no one is hoodwinked into believing that another bombing of what Obama says are “military targets” will not also kill and wound many other innocent Syrian people, and create even further chaos and suffering.
Besides, why do we have the Unitied Nations if the most powerful country in the world can override their decisions? (In fact the UN haven’t come to one yet I believe.)
Pope Francis today has said how useless such a thing as bombing Syria would be, and I’m sure that most people would agree with that.
Al Qaida back the rebels in Syria…. isn’t that enough to ring a whole lot of alarm bells everywhere?
But prayer and fasting can move mountains, and that is all most of us can do now.
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Lets see who sold the weapons and to whom in the first place? Is this a civil war or a sponsored regime change? Are any one of these countries and Super powers defenders of Christ? Obama can hardly cry murder of infants and defend abortion can he? I am not seeing compassion nor charity here but hatred. Hatred and the means justifying the ends.
Pray for Christ Peace and the salvation of poor souls but this is a war of man’s choosing. How can you choose between Gog and Magog?
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