Eternal Father, source of love,
by your Holy Spirit you move human hearts
so that enemies may speak to each other again,
adversaries join hands,
hatred is overcome by love,
revenge gives way to forgiveness,
and discord is changed to mutual respect.

Grant us, through the action of the Spirit,
the grace to contribute,
together with all people of good will,
to the fulfillment of your Son's will:
"That they may all be one!"

With faith, we ask you for the divine gift of unity.
Give us enough love and courage
to seek to overcome disunity,
whether it is friction in our families, tensions in our neighborhood,
disagreements at work, in our parish, or among different religious groups.

Help us to enter into honest and respectful dialogue.
Keep us from being indifferent.
Soften our hearts. Open our ears.
Help us to listen with close attention to the other person,
sharing in the pain caused by their wounds.

Help us to build bridges rather than walls.
Make us instruments of your peace.

We humbly pray to you:
allow us, your children,
to live in solidarity with all people
and so to honor you, who are the Father of us all.

We ask these things through Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Most Holy Trinity.
Amen.


Anonymous meditation based on Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation II.