A litany of resistance
by Jim Loney (CPT Reservist), Toronto, Ontario
The litany reproduced below was used as the basis of the Leeds
Christians Against War on Iraq’s action of witness and prayer
on 31 October 2002. Click on the links below for a version in Acrobat
PDF format (they differ only in the heading).
Gathering song:
I will rock my heart till the walls come down
One: Let us pray:
You have learned how it is said:
Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.
But I say this to you who are listening:
Love your enemies.
Do good to those who hate you:
Bless those who curse you.
Be compassionate:
Judge not.
Do not condemn:
Grant pardon.
Because the amount you measure out
Is the amount you will be given back.
Let everything you do
Be done in love.
Blessed are the poor
For theirs is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are they who mourn now
For they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek
For they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice
For they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful
For they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart
For they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers
For they will be called the daughters and sons of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted because of righteousness
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Chant: Bless the Lord, my Soul
Deliver us, O God:
Guide our feet in the ways of your peace.
In humility, we ask:
Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.
In humility, we ask:
Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
Free us from the bondage of sin and death.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:
Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.
On the victims of war:
Have mercy.
Women, men and children:
Have mercy.
The maimed and the crippled:
Have mercy.
The abandoned and the homeless:
Have mercy.
The imprisoned and the tortured:
Have mercy.
The widowed and the orphaned:
Have mercy.
The bleeding and the dying:
Have mercy.
The weary and the desperate:
Have mercy.
The lost and the forsaken:
Have mercy.
On those fleeing in terror:
Have mercy.
Chant:
Jesu tawa pano [Jesus, we are here] (x10)
For our scorched and blackened earth:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
For the scandal of billions wasted in war:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
For our leaders who wage war in our name:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
For our Caesars and our Herods:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
For our generals and tacticians:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
For the men and women in battle:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
For the men and women training for war:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
For the scientists and researchers:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
For the arms dealers and the merchants of death:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
For our taxes that fund the evil of war:
Forgive us, for we know not what we do
Deliver us, O God:
Guide our feet into the ways of peace
In humility, we ask:
Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.
Chant: O Lord, Hear my Prayer (x10)
From the arrogance of power:
Deliver us.
From the poverty of violence:
Deliver us.
From the tyranny of greed:
Deliver us.
From the ugliness of racism:
Deliver us.
From the politics of hypocrisy:
Deliver us.
From the hysteria of nationalism:
Deliver us.
From the cancer of hatred:
Deliver us.
From the seduction of wealth:
Deliver us.
From the addiction of control:
Deliver us.
From the avarice of imperialism:
Deliver us.
From the idolatry of national security:
Deliver us.
From the despair of fatalism:
Deliver us.
From the violence of apathy:
Deliver us.
From the filth of war:
Deliver us.
From the profanity of war:
Deliver us.
From the necessity of war:
Deliver us.
From the madness of war:
Deliver us.
From the blasphemy of war:
Deliver us.
From the brutality of war:
Deliver us.
From the demonic waste of war and of preparation for war:
Deliver us.
Deliver us, O God:
Guide our feet into the ways of peace
In humility, we ask:
Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.
Hymn: Listen to the Voice of Judgement
Obedience to God
comes before obedience to human authority:
Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s
and unto God what is God’s.
Let your will be done, not mine:
With the help of God’s grace.
Let us resist and confront evil everywhere we find it:
With the help of God’s grace.
With the waging of war:
We will not comply.
With all preparation and training for war:
We will not comply.
With the forces of fear:
We will not comply.
With the legalisation of murder:
We will not comply.
With the legalisation of genocide:
We will not comply.
With laws that betray human life:
We will not comply.
With the bombing of civilians:
We will not comply.
With the bombing of cities:
We will not comply.
With the violating of our earth:
We will not comply.
With the destruction of peoples:
We will not comply.
With the raping of women:
We will not comply.
With governments that are blind to the sanctity of life:
We will not comply.
With economic structures that impoverish and dehumanise:
We will not comply.
With the manipulation and control of public information:
We will not comply.
With economics that manufacture instruments of death:
We will not comply.
With economics that use instruments of death:
We will not comply.
With the perpetuation of violence:
We will not comply.
With structures that divide rich from poor:
We will not comply.
With the hypocrisy of political manoeuvring:
We will not comply.
Hymn: Lead us to Freedom, God of Liberty
With the help of God’s grace:
We will struggle for justice.
With the compassion of Christ:
We will stand for what is true.
With God’s abiding kindness:
We will love even our enemies.
With the love of Christ:
We will resist all evil.
With God’s unending faithfulness:
We will work to build the beloved community.
With Christ’s passionate love:
We will carry the cross.
With God’s overwhelming goodness:
We will walk as pilgrims of peace.
With Christ’s fervent conviction:
We will labour for truth.
With God’s infinite mercy:
We will live in solidarity with all people.
In the end there are three things that last:
Faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.
Let us abide in God’s love:
Thanks be to God.
Final song: He Came Down
A sharing of the peace
This page was last updated on Wednesday, 29 November 2006
|