O God of peace, you have established Jerusalem as the Lord’s House and a place of peace, and you have called on all who live there to love you and prosper. Instill in her inhabitants – Jews, Christians and Muslims – a hunger for justice and dignity and a resolve to end the distrust that culminates in violence. Grant them the wisdom and patience to build a city where Israeli and Palestinian reside in safety, free from oppression and committed to the good of all. In this endeavor, make every one of us agents of your peace, O God. Forgive us our indifference and stamp out the prejudices that lead to hatred. Fill us with the reconciling spirit of your presence. So may we join people of good will – in the Middle East and throughout the world – who raise before Jerusalem’s gates their insistent Shalom and Salaam: “Peace be within your walls. . . .Peace be within you.”
