Prayer to Saint Francis
(Pope John Paul II, La Verna, 17-9-1993)

O Saint Francis, stigmatized on La Verna,
the world longs for you
as an icon of Jesus crucified.
It needs your heart, open for God and humanity,
your bare and wounded feet,
your pierced and pleading hands.
It longs for your weak voice,
strong with the power of the Gospel.
O Francis, help the men and women of today
to acknowledge the evil of sin
and to seek cleansing from it in penance.
Help them to free themselves
from the very structures of sin
which oppress society today.
Arouse in the awareness of those who govern
the urgent need for peace between nations and peoples.
Pour into the young your zest for living;
help them balk the snares
of the many cultures of death.
To those who have been offended
by wickedness of every kind,
communicate your joy, O Francis,
in learning to forgive.
To all who are crucified by suffering,
by hunger, by war,
open once again
the door of hope.
Amen.

Today, O God, we pray: send us your Spirit, to be for us a burning and brilliant fire, to
illumine our shadows and bring our love once again to life. May the Spirit be for us a
breath of sweetness, consoling and soothing our timid agitation about the future. May
the Spirit be a strong wind to fill our sails and set a daring course for us, guiding it
towards new horizons. May the Spirit be a storm to clear the air, water to make new
flowers bloom after the drought. O Lord of our life and of our history, may your Spirit
enable us to experience at firsthand how the ancient mission, which you entrusted to us
in truth, is still able to transform the world in these new times.

Mary,
Mother of our Brother and Lord Jesus Christ, poor and crucified,
Mother of our Family, Mother of the poor,
hear the humble and trusting prayer we address to you today.
Many peoples lack material bread and spiritual bread in our day;
the bread of truth and of love is lacking in many minds and hearts;
the bread of the word and the bread of the Lord is lacking among many.
Uproot from the hearts of many men and women the egoism
which impoverishes.
May all the peoples of the world accept the true Light
and walk the paths of Peace and Justice
in mutual respect and in a solidarity
rooted in the humanity of our God.
Our Lady of the Portiuncula,
give light to our hope, purify our hearts,
be with us on the paths of evangelization,
towards a world becoming more just and more free for everyone.
Amen.

Lord, God of peace, you who have created us,
The object of your goodwill, to share your glory,
We bless you and we thank you,
Because you have sent us Jesus, your most beloved Son,
Making Him, in His Paschal Mystery, the artificer of salvation,
The source of all peace, the bond of all fraternity.
We thank you for the desires, endeavours, and the achievements
That the Spirit of Peace has awakened in our time to change
Hate into love, distrust into understanding,
Indifference into solidarity.
Open ever more our spirits and hearts
To the concrete demands of the love for our brothers,
So that we can be ever greater builders of peace.
Remember, Father of mercy, all those afflicted
Who suffer and die in the birth of a more fraternal world.
May all humans, of every race and all languages, come to your Kingdom
Of justice, peace and love. May the earth be full of your glory. Amen.

We implore you, O Lord, not to count the sins of your sons and daughters.
Purify them, rather, with the purity of your truth and straighten our steps
To walk in sanctity of heart and to do that which is beautiful and pleasing to your eyes
And to the eyes of Him who guides us.
Yes, Lord; show us your face in order to offer us the goods of peace,
To protect us with your powerful hand, to free us from all sin
With your sovereign arm and to save us from those who hate us unjustly.
Give us, and to all the inhabitants of the world, harmony and peace
As you did to our ancestors who so humbly invoked you in faith and truth;
Give it also to us who are subject to your name that is powerful and full of all virtues.
You, Lord, have given to our kings and leaders here on earth,
The power of the kingdom through your magnificent and indescribable authority
So that they may recognize your glory and the honour that you have given them.
Given them, Lord, health, peace, harmony and certainty, so that they may exercise
Without obstacles the authority that you have given them.
Direct their will, O Lord, according to that which is beautiful and agreeable to your eyes,
So that by using well, in peace and humility, the power that you gave them,
They may be favourable to you.
To you, who alone can do such good things, and greater still, among us,
We give you thanks through the great Priest and protector of our souls,
Jesus Christ, for whom you should be given thanks and magnificence,
Now and from generation to generation forever and ever. Amen.
 

Creator of nature and humanity
Of truth and of beauty, I raise a prayer:
LISTEN TO MY VOICE
Because it is the voice of the victims of all wars
And of the violence between individuals and nations;
LISTEN TO MY VOICE,
Because it is the voice of all children who suffer and will suffer
Each time that peoples put their confidence
In arms and in war;
LISTEN TO MY VOICE
When I ask you to pour into the hearts of all human beings
The wisdom of peace, the power of justice and the joy of friendship;
LISTEN TO MY VOICE,
Because I speak in the name of the multitudes of each country
And of each period of history that do not want war
And are disposed to walk the path of peace;
LISTEN TO MY VOICE
And give us the capacity and the strength
To be able to respond to hatred with love,
To injustice with a complete dedication to justice,
To need with our own involvement,
To war with peace.
O GOD, LISTEN TO MY VOICE
And give to the world for all times your peace.