A Prayer Accepted!

Some time ago, I published a piece on my blog titled "A Prayer Rejected"--you can read the story behind this in the paragraph following my prayer.  As I said below, it's time for my prayer to be published!  The courageous editor of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's literary journal, The Red Door, let me know today that she plans to include this prayer in the next edition.  Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!

 

A Prayer for Victims and Survivors

of Abuse and Domestic Violence 

Oh, Lord, You hold a special place in Your heart for little children; please hear this prayer. We ask that You grant us the strength, courage, and powers of discernment necessary to protect and cherish any Little Ones we encounter who are in need of our help. We ask, too, that you grant us the insight to know how to give comfort and help to those who are no longer children but whose hearts and souls suffer the pain of childhood abuse each day they live. Amen

 

For all the innocent little children who are at this moment being victimized—

 

May God’s hands hold your souls, shield them from evil, and keep them pure;

May God’s beauty and strength flow into your bodies and take away your pain and your shame;

May God’s peace form a blanket around your minds and shield you from the horror, chaos, and confusion that accompany exploitation and violation of innocence.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. 

 

For all the people who as innocent children were victimized and who now
struggle to reclaim their souls, their bodies, and their minds—

 

May God’s firm hands stop you from harming yourselves or others; May God’s eyes give you vision to see your true and innocent selves;
May God’s ears enable you to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit;
May God’s feet move you gently and steadily on His Path.

 

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

For all those who are presently being violated and exploited and who are living in fear for their lives and the lives of their children—

May God’s gift of clear vision help you see through the fog of denial and deceit; May God’s gift of courage enable you to stop the process of evil before it   consumes you and those whom you love;
May God’s gift of discernment allow you to recognize the forces of good;
May God’s gift of tears help you mourn that which is worthy of being mourned;
May God’s gift of love enable you to know that you are beloved, unblemished, and cherished children of God, forgiven and blessed inheritors of His kingdom. 

 

Oh, God, please hear our prayers for victims and survivors of sexual abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence. We ask that you help these people find bright new lives that are free from the tarnish of abuse. We ask, also, that in times of weakness and trial, you send your angels to comfort them and give them strength. 

We ask this in the name of Your beloved Son, Jesus, and in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Theotokos, the everloving Mother of the motherless.

Amen.  

In the 1990s, an Episcopal women's organization asked women to submit prayers to be published in a special prayer book. The organization asked, specifically, that prayers be included for abuse victims. I am a survivor of child abuse and domestic violence, and the prayer is heartfelt. The organization rejected my prayer, stating that it was "too intense." Over the past two decades, however, public awareness of the devastation wrought by child sexual abuse and also by domestic violence has increased to the point where the intensity may now be deemed acceptable and totally appropriate.   

On any given day and at any given moment, there are children and adults somewhere in our nation whose bodies and souls are being bruised and battered by abuse. The thought that God weeps to see God’s creations suffer took away my fear and gave me the courage to end the abuse in my own home. My hope is that this prayer will inspire people to engage in meditative consideration of this issue and take whatever steps they feel are appropriate to alleviate child abuse and domestic violence in our city and throughout our nation.