Prayer for Peace

This prayer is one of the oldest collects in the Western Church. It comes from the ancient Mass for Peace, found in early sacramentaries more than a thousand years old, and it is still prayed in many parishes and at Evening Prayer. It asks God, the source of every holy desire and right counsel, to give His servants the peace the world cannot give: hearts set on His commandments and days free from the fear of enemies.

Pray it for peace in the world, in your country, in your family, or in your own heart. It suits times of war and unrest, family conflict, and personal anxiety. Many people pray it at night or after the Rosary, and it pairs naturally with the Prayer of St. Francis and the Litany of Loreto's invocation of Mary as Queen of Peace.

The Prayer

O God, from Whom all holy desires, all right counsels, and all just works do proceed: give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Thy commandments, and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sources: Traditional collect for peace; public domain.

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