Today’s Reflection
How will we stop the cycle of violence if we can’t learn to offer prayers for those who perpetrate it? This prayer is my attempt at learning to pray for those for whom I do not want to pray.
—Michelle Thorne Mejia, Britney Winn Lee, Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice (Fresh Air Books, 2020)
Save 15% on this week’s featured book when you use promo code NEM1026 at Store.UpperRoom.org.*
Today’s Question
What spiritual practice enables you to pray for those for whom you do not want to pray? Join the conversation.
Today’s Scripture
“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you.”
—Matthew 5:43-44 (CEB)
Today’s Litany
ONE: So Jesus lived and died, staying true to what he asks of others.
ALL: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
ONE: For those who harm others and who seek to do harm in this world, we
pray, O God.
We remember them and all who love them.
We remember that their lives too are devastated and their hopes dashed.
We know that the pain from each act of violence, like the ripples of a stone
cast in a pond, travel in many different directions.
Those who perpetrate violence become casualties of their own anger, their
own hatred, their own bitterness, their own deep woundedness.
They too are in need of your grace, your love, and your healing light.
ALL: They know not what they do.
—Michelle Thorne Mejia, Britney Winn Lee, Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice (Fresh Air Books, 2020)
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Lectionary Readings
- Joshua 3:7-17
- Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37
- 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
- Matthew 23:1-12
Read the lectionary texts courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library here.
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
*Offer valid through November 15, 2026.
