Family Fast Day prayer
In this Jubilee Year, we pray that we may be signs of hope in our world.
The devastation caused by the war in Syria
“He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. ”
“We left our houses due to the war, at the beginning of 2012,” says Salim, a Syrian man displaced with his family. They were away from their home for many years.
Now Salim and his family have finally been able to return home, thanks to help from our local experts.
“We were so happy with the work [to restore the building],” he declares. “We dream that our neighbourhood will be back as it was. It was very beautiful. It was like a big park, with all its gardens, with its people. We have high hopes for the future.”
Signs of hope are everywhere. As Pope Francis writes in the Bull of Indiction for this Jubilee Year, “Everyone knows what it is to hope. In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring.” (Spes non confundit, #1)
Can we dream of peace in a time of war? Can this Holy Year be a time for all of us to make a commitment to build peace?
“May the Jubilee remind us that those who are peacemakers will be called ‘children of God’ (Mt 5:9). The need for peace challenges us all and demands that concrete steps be taken.” (Spes non confundit, #8)
Prayer
God of joy, may we become builders of peace during this Holy Year of Jubilee. May we communicate the joy that comes with creating new paths of peace in the world. Amen.
Act
Pray the Lent prayer, inspired by Pope Francis’s reassuring words that hope dwells within each of our hearts