Memorial Day Prayer

It has been a wonderful Memorial Day weekend for my family, and I am grateful for that. I hope it has been a comforting weekend for you who might be reading this. But I also want to demonstrate solidarity with all those for whom Memorial Day is a time of renewed sorrow and painful reflection. In that spirit, I offer this prayer for your consideration. I looked at quite a few reflections and found this to express the prayer of my heart most clearly. Especially on my heart are those soldiers with, as the prayer says, "minds sickened by the sight and sounds of war."

Almighty God,

In whom we live, love, and have our being,


We take time today to uplift the heavy hearts 


Of those for whom Memorial Day 


Is more than a mere diversion, 


But is, instead, a painful time of reflection, lamentation 


And enduring bereavement.

This day we remember with compassion


Your children who have lost their lives to war;


Incline us to honor their memory, dear Lord, 


With a sincere pledge to seek peace


And nonviolent solutions to world conflict.

We pray for the safety of those entering military service,


And succor for the many returning from combat 


With wounded bodies,


Or minds


Sickened by the sight and sounds of war.

Our prayers also extend, Great Comforter, 


To those who still wait and pray


Day by anxious day


For that precious moment of reunion


With a distant family member, friend, or loved one.

And to others – whose reunion has been sorrowfully delayed


Until that Heavenly homecoming with Christ


In the fullness of time – 


We offer the gentle assurance 


Of your promise to all believers,


“Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted.”

Amen.