Ceasefire Vigils - Catholic Worker D.C. (Wave of Prayer Litany)

Nov 26

Excerpt of Statement

Welcome/Opening Reflection

Good Afternoon. We greet all government workers, tourists, visitors and Secret Service agents in a spirit of peace and nonviolence. On behalf of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, I'd like to welcome everyone here present for this nonviolent witness. A special thank you to members of Christians 4 Ceasefire, and other faith groups that are represented here today.

Surrounded by a Holy Cloud of Witnesses, we come to the White House today to say Yes to the God of Love, justice and nonviolence and No to the idolatrous forces of greed, oppression, violence, death and destruction. We are here today because we refuse to be indifferent to evil—the evil of injustice, killing, war and genocide. We ask God's mercy for the ways in which we and our nation have been indifferent to and complicit in evil. We feel and hear the suffering cries of human beings in our world, and especially in the land called "Holy." Mindful of our personal and societal need for repentance and conversion, we recognize that it is our responsibility to do what God commands: to revere all life as sacred, to love our neighbor, to beat swords into plowshares, and never to kill. We therefore believe that to love our neighbor means we must renounce all injustice, violence and killing, no matter who the perpetrator is. And we must denounce all forms of racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia!

[Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of 6 Jesuits, their housekeeper and daughter who were murdered in San Salvador in 1989. We remember Ignacio Ellacuria, Jouquin Lopez y Lopez, Amando Lopez, Ignacio Martin-Baro, Juan Ramon Moreno, Segundo Montes, Elba and Celina Ramos, and all the martyrs of El Salvador and call them here into our presence today. ]

Just as the U.S. provided military aid and weapons to the Salvadoran regime to repress and kill Salvadorans calling for an end to their oppression, the U.S. is doing the same thing in Israel today by providing military aid and weapons to Israel to carry out its genocidal war in Palestine and Lebanon. These words from martyred Salvadoran Saint Oscar Romero need to be heeded now more than ever:

I'd like to make an appeal in a special way to the men in the army...When you hear the words of a man telling you to kill, think instead in the words of God, "Thou shalt not kill!" No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the Law of God. In His name and in the name of our tormented people who have suffered so much, and whose laments cry out to heaven: I implore you! I beg you! I order you Stop the repression!

We live in a warmaking empire founded on genocide and slavey. The triple evils Dr. King identified as racism, economic exploitation and militarism are the hallmarks of a political and economic order that is rooted in white supremacy, systemic violence and oppression, and dominated by corporate power. Before the election the Doomsday Clock was already set at 90 seconds before midnight, due namely to the existential threats of nuclear weapons and the climate crisis, worsening world tensions, and AI. The perils facing the country and the world post-election are now even more ominous. The forces of fascism, racial hatred, violence and destruction are pervasive. As people of faith, we must remain rooted in the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus, renounce Christian nationalism, and resist the powers and principalities. The times require us to dig deeper into the well of faith so that we can be sustained as Gospel peace and justice makers in our resistance to the deadly forces of evil. Going deep into the well of faith is something Dorothy Day, Archbishop Romero and so many peace and justice makers have done--past and present, as they sought spiritual sustenance, courage and hope to respond to the perils of their time. The great S. African Archbishop Desmond Tutu said this about the meaning of hope: "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness."

In this perilous time, we need to live and boldly proclaim God's reign of love, justice, peace and Gospel Nonviolence as we seek to help create the Beloved Community.

Prayers from the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in the West Bank

https://sabeel.org/wave-of-prayer-218/ (click here for latest week’s prayers)

Last week, amid U.S. presidential elections, Israel officially confirmed that Palestinians will not be allowed to return to homes in northern Gaza, an area that still has hundreds of thousands of civilians unable or unwilling to follow evacuation orders. For over a month, the Israeli Occupation Forces -IOF has obstructed most humanitarian aid and medical assistance, allowing widespread famine and diseases to spread while it continues indiscriminate bombing campaigns.

Loving God, we lack the words to fully describe the continued suffering of the people of Gaza, who like the Psalmist, face death all day long. (Psalm 44:22) Amid famine, disease, and genocide, we know you can hear the cries of your people under the rubble of homes, from hospitals struggling to care for the wounded and sick, and from families who know not where to turn for safety. We ask you to intervene for the people of Gaza and be their shield against these unimaginable acts of violence. Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with the depths of your justice and awaken the hearts of the international community that we may end the violence that has robbed people of their lives and dignity.