BURBANK, IL [DOM Communications] – On May 31, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church of America released a statement on the recent tragic events taking place in the country. The following prayers may be offered during public worship and private prayer at home.
Petitions at the Augmented Litany in a Time of Civil Unrest
Again we pray for this country and for all its cities and towns and countrysides that are riven by strife; for all those who are victims of violence, of hatred and injustice, of disorder and unrest, and especially for those who have been killed, that they might find their repose in thee; for all who are beset by anger and fear; for those in civil authority and all who enforce the law; and for all the people of this land: for justice, godly liberty, mercy, a peaceful life, and remission of our sins. R. Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
Again we pray that all people of this land, its rulers and authorities, its citizens and all who reside here, might be enlightened with the light of thy Gospel and thy commandments, unto peace and good order and love for one another, so that we might easily and safely pass from our temporary homeland here to our true homeland with thee in heaven. R. Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
Prayer in a Time of Civil Unrest
V. Let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy.
(Or, when offered on a weekday):
V. Again and again, on bended knee, let us pray to the Lord.
R. Lord, have mercy. (thrice)
Our Father, great and glorious God who art in heaven, yet who dost look upon the earth with pity and compassion, meting out thy justice and thy mercy upon nations and peoples and ages: look down upon our earthly and temporal homeland, the United States of America, which is now riven by strife, and send thy Spirit, the Spirit of peace, upon us like a heavenly Breeze, to restore peace to our cities, our countrysides, and our hearts. May he, the Spirit of truth who leads the saints into all truth, teach us the truth, that we may abide in it, repenting of our error and ignorance. May he, the Spirit of righteousness, lead us in the way of righteousness, that we might cast aside and reject forever all bigotry and wickedness. O Father Almighty, adorn our rulers with a spirit of wisdom; adorn our civil authorities and the police and all who enforce the law with a spirit of justice and clemency; and adorn all who dwell in our land with a spirit of love for one another. O Father without beginning, who at the breathing of thy Spirit didst cause dry land to appear out of the churning waters of chaos when the world was founded: deliver our earthly homeland from disorder, and grant us all to stand firmly on the ground of thy justice and thy mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom is due all worship, together with thee, the God and Father, and the All-holy Spirit, the Comforter. Amen.
