Let There Be Peace: Prayers from Around the World

Let There Be Peace: Prayers from Around the World selected by Jeremy Brooks

The Reverend Jeremy Brooks searched all over the world for prayers asking for peace. He focused on finding prayers written by those in the midst of conflict. I was very moved by the words, some spoken by millions, some spoken for hundreds of years, some spoken by a few.

One prayer:
“O Lord,
remember not only the men and women of goodwill,
but also those of ill will.
But do not only remember the suffering they have inflicted on us,
remember the fruits we bore thanks to this suffering,
our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility,
the courage, the generosity,
the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this.
And when they come to judgement
let all the fruits which we have borne
be their forgiveness. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Found beside the body of a Jewish child
in a German concentration camp, 1945”

Comments of children:
This was a love it-hate it book; kids either really liked it or really hated. it. About half the group rated it a 5 and half gave it a 1. After I read the poems aloud, there was a great stillness in the room.