Let Us Be A Light
Offering compassion, respect, a sense of peace and belonging to individuals affected by sexual misconduct within the church.
A Ministry of Prayer
Why pray now? Can't we just let this be? Healing is a journey that can take a long time and there are still many who need healing. As a society we are just beginning to understand sexual abuse - its scope, causes, consequences, treatment and prevention. It is a secret as old as humanity, but we have entered a time when we have the opportunity to bring this out into the open to make a change for future generations. As our airwaves and other media are filled with stories of sexual abuse, making the capture of abusers the stuff of entertainment, we as a faith community who have witnessed the pain of this among our own members, can offer a different response - a spiritual response. Through our prayers, we can bring God's healing light and guidance into this area of our human history that has been kept in the dark for t As long as there are victims and abusers still suffering the consequences of abuse, our prayers are needed. God will never give up on them, and we must not either. Although people who have encountered sexual abuse will have a long journey towards wholeness, through God’s love and ours, they can have lives filled with joy, peace, and love. |
Who will pray? Everyone who feels called is invited to join in this ministry of healing prayer. People who need healing because of sexual abuse are encouraged to join in this prayer ministry both for themselves and others. If you have walked this walk and felt this pain then you understand what a person needs at a time like this better than anyone else. Express your compassion for others through prayer and experience the transformation of God’s healing grace as it brings love and new life into your own heart. If you have not been touched directly by this scandal but your heart feels troubled by sexual abuse within our community, you can join in prayer knowing that you can make a difference. Prayer is powerful. You are the heart of the Church as the Eucharist lived out; the Body of Christ alive today as His arms, eyes, voice, and heart. Victims and abusers alike will not find their spiritual healing in isolation but through contact with someone like you and through your prayers. |
For whom do we pray for?
The Catholic Church has put into place significant policy changes to prevent this from happening within her own organization, but there is still much more to be done within the Church and society as a whole. We pray that our Church's spiritual leadership and pastoral ministers place their trust in God's healing light as they lead us towards spiritual healing. We offer these prayers for those involved in treatment, law enforcement, and the court system. We pray that our policy makers both within our Church and our society may be open to the compassion and wisdom of God as they make decisions regarding the protection of our children and vulnerable members, as well as the treatment of victims and abusers. We pray for all victims and perpetrators of abuse. As Catholics who have encountered this issue in our own community, we can compassionately offer our love and prayers to people who have been injured through sexual abuse within their own faith community, family, or other social contact. This large silent group often have no where to turn for prayer. We can be a light for others. |
Where will we pray? Within the privacy of our own hearts or whenever we gather as a faith community. Within our own hearts we can pray for healing every time we hear about sexual abuse through the media, in conversation, or through our Church's efforts towards prevention. Think about God and offer a prayer for the people hurt, the Church, and our community as a whole. Consider adding these prayers to your personal daily prayer intentions. If you have been hurt by abuse or have abused someone and now find that you can't pray in traditional Catholic prayer styles, then let your heart be your guide and pray in the manner that you have found most comfortable. If you cannot pray at all, then simply allow your desire to know the healing love of God become your prayer. As a community you can invite your Bible study group or small prayer gathering to join in this prayer. If you are part of a religious community or a priest, invite others in your community to add this intention to their own prayers. If you are active on the internet, please invite others to join us in this healing activity by forwarding this website. Refer to our Prayers and Reflections for both community and individual prayers. Anything that is original to this website can be copied and shared. Please identify Let-Us-Be-A-Light Ministry as the source and include the web address, http://www.letusbealight.org/. Publisher information is provided to obtain permission to reprint for materials that have a copyright.
With every prayer and every thought of love, we release the light that will cast out darkness. One light alone seems small and weak, but no one's light is ever alone, for all our lights are part of God. .... M. Williamson
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We pray for the people who have been abused by a priest or other representative of the Catholic Church. We pray for those who have committed this abuse. 
People who have been hurt by a Church representative may be unable to use traditional Catholic prayer forms because they cause hurt or fear resulting in serous anxiety attacks. So we invite others in our community to lovingly offer the rosary, prayers during Eucharistic Adoration, prayers to Our Blessed Mother, novenas, Stations of the Cross, prayers to our saints and any of our other rich Catholic prayer traditions on their behalf.
