Prayer #1: Help us to Become Peacemakers
By Bishop Karl Pruter

Lord, Heavenly Father, help us to become peacemakers, that we may be called, “The children of God.“

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called The children of God.” It is a simple statement that contains many truths and a great challenge. First, Christ, clearly intends that His followers shall be peacemakers. Not only does He want us to refrain from war, but He is also telling us that we have a duty to spread the gospel of peace to the whole world. He admonishes us to love our enemies and to turn our cheek to the man who strikes us. In return He promises that God will call us “blessed,” and we shall be known as “The children of God.”

But to twentieth century man it is a terrible challenge. First, because war has always been with us and the threatening atomic war could easily destroy us all. Secondly, in spite of nearly two thousand years of Christian influence, the world does not accept Jesus’ views on peace. From childhood on we are told we must “fight” for our rights, and if we are struck on the cheek, the “manly” thing to do is to strike back. We have been told so often that we regard it as an undeniable truth that peace in the world can only be maintained by the force of arms. Only the strong, we are told, can live in peace. Yet history shows that the strong have always been at war and only a few small nations, who perhaps, because of their obscurity, have escaped the ravages of war.

The most notable voice in our age which spoke for the power of non-violent change was the voice of a Hindu, Mahatma Ghandi. To him and his followers, then belongs the appellation, “The children of God.” Yet, it must be admitted that a few Christians remain true to Christ’s teachings, and are earnestly seeking to bring peace in our time.

Jesus has shown the way and has given us a powerful tool for peace. Through prayer peace will come! While most people will concede that prayer can be helpful, they will insist that in addition we must for a new society, go about healing the wounds of society, and work to bring men and women at war with one another to meetings of reconciliation. It is true that Christ did not say that all that was necessary was prayer, and it is true that He would have us use every nonviolent means to bring peace. Yet there are few among us who appreciate how important prayer is in the process of peacemaking. It is not that prayer helps in making demonstrations effective, or that a rally of one hundred thousand people would win more adherents if only we added to the rally the prayers of every Christian. What is true, but not always believed, is that the sincere prayer of one Christian for peace, is more effective than any direct action by a hundred thousand or more people.

I believe this because Jesus believed it. Daily he prayed, and in his lifetime he engaged in only a few “demonstrations,” i.e. the cleansing of the Temple, the Pam Sunday ride into Jerusalem, and His witness before Pilate at His trial.

Christ has clearly said that we must become peacemakers, and He has show the way. “Ask,” he said, “And it shall be given unto you. Seek and ye shall find.” If peace is what you want from God, then I admonish you to offer to Him a daily prayer of litany for peace.


Prayer #2: Help us to Purge Ourselves
By Bishop Karl Pruter

Lord, Heavenly Father, help us to purge ourselves of those attributes which make not for peace but which set the stage for war.

It seems to be a modern misconception that if one is engaged in a good work, our motives for so doing need not be scrupulously examined. Jesus thought otherwise and said to us, “If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” If we seek to engage in peace making, it behooves us to examine our souls closely. For to paraphrase another warning of Jesus’, “Not every one that saith unto me, Peace, Peace, shall enter into that peaceable Kingdom, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven.” For we cannot expect peace to come from our efforts, if we do not purge ourselves of petty grievances, hatreds, envy, and other attributes which are the root and the cause of all wars.

Men kill, not to defend their nation but to satisfy deep and underlying personal motives. A man with hatred in his heart for those of a different race or color in ordinary times is not permitted to act out his hatred. But in time of war, he has permission by society to kill strangers. The men on the front who killed Germans, Japanese, and Vietnamese were in reality killing those at home who for one reason or another they hated.

It is estimated that in war time, not less than 10% of all casualties in any army are inflicted by members of the victims own army. It is called “fragging,” which is saying that the killer had a score to settle, usually with one of his officers. But the truth of the matter is that killing in war is even more senseless than most people imagine. It is not as portrayed with defenders of one country on one side and invaders on the other side and the defenders saying, “I am going to kill the invader.” No, those who train soldiers know that the soldier has to be trained to hate the “enemy,” for military leaders are aware of how necessary it is to motivate men to kill strangers.

Hence, it is necessary to give reasons, ranging from seeing the stranger as a threat to national security and ultimately as a threat to the soldier’s wife and children back home. What takes place is a transference of all the soldier’s hatreds and grievances that have built up in his subconscious. His hatred of another race, or persons of another religion, or of another national origin, or his boss, or particular classes of people together with the many defeats he has suffered in the past at the hands of particular individuals. None of these has he been allowed to take vengeance upon in peace time and so war allows him to take out his frustrations upon the “enemy.” It not only permits him, but his actions of killing and destruction have the approval of society.

Few soldiers or civilians are aware of how much hatred men and women manage to store in their hearts. Prior to World War II, American First advocates built up such a hatred for President Roosevelt that it had to find an outlet somewhere, sometime. Pearl Harbor and the nation’s reaction to it, enabled Americans to vent their spleen on the enemy and unfortunately, on their own citizens who posed no threat, but who happened to be of Japanese ancestry.

Hatred once it is permitted to build inside of us can find no other acceptable outlet than war. Therefore, if we are to become peacemakers we must purge ourselves of those attributes within ourselves which, if unresolved set the stage for war. Unless we are at peace within ourselves, and have nothing against any man we can not sincerely come before God and say, “Give us peace.” Before we come before His altar with such a petition we must purge ourselves, or as Christ phrased it, “Leave your gift and first be reconciled to your brother.”