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Local church leaders join Bishop Mulvey to pray for peace in Ukraine
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March 16, 2022Photos by Mary Cottingham | STC
See more photos below.
"This is a war of hate," said Bishop Michael Mulvey at the Ecumenical Prayer Service for Peace in Ukraine. "Peace brings us together in mutual love —not for mutual needs, but love as Christians."
Joining Bishop Mulvey at Corpus Christi Cathedral and participating in the readings on March 15 were three protestant church leaders: the Reverend Philip W. May, associate rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd; Reverend Dr. Brian Hill, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Corpus Christi; and Reverend Dr. Charles Stewart Blackshear, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Corpus Christi. Also participating in the prayer service was Vicar General of the diocese, Father James Stembler; and Deacon Armando Leal from Corpus Christi Cathedral.
"Three weeks ago, the world watched Russia launch airstrikes on Ukraine, and war broke out. The loss of life is immeasurable, and we have witnessed a humanitarian crisis unfold with over one million Ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries. I want to echo the request of Pope Francis to pray for peace," Bishop Mulvey said.
"The Gospel, today from St. John, can seem very idyllic. And very simple. You love one another, yet what we're seeing is not the fruit of love but the fruit of hate. And hate can come in various measures. Hate destroys. It is the opposite of peace —which Jesus left us. Love brings peace, and peace brings us together as brothers and sisters," he said
"Tonight, brothers and sisters, we are here united in praying for the gift that Jesus gave us and that he intended for us —to live in mutual love. Not just the love that shares in people's needs through acts of charity, but to love as Christians," he concluded his homily by reading the words from Pope Francis' general audience since the attack on Ukraine had begun.
Pope Francis read an impassioned prayer asking God to have mercy and bring peace to the war in Ukraine during his Wednesday general audience on March 16. The following prayer for Ukraine was cited by Pope Francis. The following is an English translation of the prayer, originally written in Italian by Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples, southern Italy:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners.
Lord Jesus, born under the bombs of Kyiv, have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, who died in his mother's arms in a bunker in Kharkiv, have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, sent at 20 years old to the front, have mercy on us.
Lord Jesus, who still sees armed hands in the shadow of your Cross, have mercy on us!
Forgive us, Lord,
if not content with the nails with which we pierced your hands, we continue to drink from the blood of the dead torn apart by weapons.
Forgive us, Lord, if these hands that you created for care have been transformed into instruments of death.
Forgive us, Lord, if we continue to kill our brother, if we continue like Cain to remove the stones from our field to kill Abel.
Forgive us if we continue to justify cruelty with our toil, if with our pain we legitimize the cruelty of our actions.
Forgive us the war, Lord.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, we implore you: Stop the hand of Cain!
Enlighten our consciences,
let not our will be done,
do not abandon us to our own actions.
Stop us, Lord, stop us.
And when you have stopped the hand of Cain, take care of him too. He is our brother.
O Lord, stop the violence.
Stop us, Lord.
