Prayer for Conscience and Courage

Loving God,
lead us beyond ourselves
to care and protect,
to nourish and shape,
to challenge and energize
both the life and the world
You have given us.

God of light and God of darkness,
God of conscience and God of courage
lead us through this time
of spiritual confusion and public uncertainty.

Lead us beyond fear, apathy and defensiveness
to new hope in You and to hearts full of faith.

Give us the conscience it takes
to comprehend what we’re facing,
to see what we’re looking at
and to say what we see
so that others, hearing us,
may also brave the pressure that comes
with being out of public step.

Give us the courage we need
to confront those things
that compromise our consciences
or threaten our integrity.

Give us, most of all,
the courage to follow those before us
who challenged wrong and changed it,
whatever the cost to themselves.

~Joan Chittister from Prayer for Conscience and Courage

Her book, Prayer for Conscience and Courage, includes intercessory prayer to 16 women and men who understood the headlines of the times and said aloud what they saw, encouraging others to confront issues that compromised personal conscience and threatened personal integrity. To learn more about Joan Chittister and her books, please click here.