I got this prayer as a forward in my email today, and thought I would share it. There is much truth in it. It is attributed to Billy Graham.
‘Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable… We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and Set us free. Amen!’
reinkat 
Lord, help.
Amen.
Billy Graham is certainly one of our Country’s greatest religious leaders. I admire his continuing to preach boldly in these later years of his life.
You’ve probably already seen this prayer from the USCCB. In our parish, we pray it at the end of the Mass before the recessional. I though I’d share it here.
Prayer for Religious Liberty
O GOD OUR CREATOR,
from your provident hand we have received
our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
You have called us as your people and given us
the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,
and your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be “one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
I had not heard this prayer before. Thank you for sharing it.
The part about all of us gathering with a clear and united voice, really resonates with me. I find myself very much concerned about ecumenism and unity among Christians, all Christians. I pray for unity and harmony. We need to have each other’s back in every corner of the world.
I totally agree with you and share that concern. I believe we are seeing the grounds taking shape for a healthy ecumenism if we can seize this opportune moment to strengthen our unity as Christians. Let’s continue to pray for it. God bless!
I believe also that it is the icon that will be the bridge between many of us.