As a sign of solidarity with the people of Syria the Bishops
of England and Wales are asking that the Catholic community marks
Wednesday December 4 as a “Day of Prayer” for all the people who are
suffering as a result of the conflict in the country.
The date was chosen because it is the feast day of St
John of Damascus and thus provides a way of linking the early Church
with the living community of Middle Eastern Christians and their vocation as
peace-builders.
The Bishops pray that the example of St
John’s life can serve to inspire Christians, Muslims
and Jews to work for reconciliation and justice.
They have announced the specific intention for 4 December 2013 to be “that all sides
involved in the conflict in Syria
will observe a peace truce between now and the Geneva
conference” on January 22 next year.
St John Damascene, or St John of Damascus, was a priest and
is a Doctor of the Church. He was born about 675 in Damascus ,
Syria Jerusalem
about 749.
He is understood to have followed his father as a Christian
official in a Moslem government. Later he became a monk and later Priest at Mar
Saba monastery near Jerusalem ,
where he was renowned as a theologian and biblical commentator.
He is remembered for his vigorous defence of the veneration
of images against the iconoclasts, for his theological writings synthesising
the thought of the Greek Fathers, and for his poetry and hymnody.
Prayer for Peace:
O God of peace, who are peace itself
and whom a spirit of discord cannot grasp,
nor a violent mind receive,
grant that those who are one in heart
may persevere in what is good
and that those in conflict
may forget evil and so be healed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
St John Damascene, pray for us.
Prayer text from Roman Missal © 2010 ICEL
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