» The prayer «
Our most Compassionate and Merciful Lord,
we give thanks to you for all the good things
we enjoy in life.
All we are and all we have,
we owe to you.
At the same time, teach us
to remain faithful and thankful to you
in difficult times also.
Our life is all about giving
thanks to you and praising your Holy Name
no matter what situation we find ourselves in.
We kneel before you in this time of suffering.
Crises and conflicts in many countries
determine our lives –
so many lives have perished,
so many families have become displaced,
so many children have become orphans,
so many dreams have been shattered,
so many people are discouraged.
Oh Lord,
listen to our prayers,
lessen our burdens, ease people‘s pain.
Protect them from all dangers.
Provide them with the things they need.
The people of Myanmar are devastated,
but not destroyed, because of your protection.
Prince of Peace,
have mercy on them and heal their land.
Grant them a political leadership
that truly loves the country and the people.
Gracious and Holy God,
restore peace and justice in Myanmar.
Please do not leave the defenceless at the mercy of evil men – do not let their plans succeed.
Strengthen us all in faith,
renew us in hope, and restore us in Love.
We entrust Myanmar and all crisis regions
to your loving care
Amen!
The Ecumenical Prayer for Peace 2025 in:
French – German
About the authors
The prayer for peace was formulated by the Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT) chaplaincy team. It offers services at the faculty and is available for all questions concerning the well-being of the students. One member of the team is the President of MIT, Dr Naw Eh Tar Gay (2nd from right).
The photo
Sr Rosa Bawk Mai at St Joseph‘s refugee camp in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar. The sisters carry out social pastoral work and are the only help and hope for the displaced people and the victims of the military violence. Their work repeatedly puts them in danger themselves.
The state
Myanmar is a multi-ethnic state in Southeast Asia. 55 million people live in this predominantly Buddhist country. Only 6 per cent of the population profess the Christian faith. After a long period of military dictatorship, there have been hopeful democratisation processes since 2010, which were thwarted by another military coup in 2021. Since then, a bloody civil war has been raging between the government army and a broad alliance of armed resistance groups. These include armies of ethnicminorities and vigilante groups of young people. The humanitarian and economic situation is catastrophic. There are around three million refugees in their own country. Many people are desperate.
You can find out more about Myanmar on Wikipedia, for example.