A litany of resistance - by James Loney

The following was written by former Saultite James Loney before the first Gulf War in 1991.

This photograph shows Loney being arrested after protesting the presence of U.S military warplanes at the Hamilton International Airshow in 2000.

*********************** Litany of Resistance by Jim Loney (Christian Peacemaker Teams Reservist), Toronto, Ontario

One: Let us pray – You have learned how it is said All: Love your neighbor and hate your enemy One: But I say this to you who are listening All: Love your enemies One: Do good to those who hate you All: Bless those who curse you One: Be compassionate All: Judge not One: Do not condemn All: Grant pardon One: Because the amount you measure out All: Is the amount you will be given back One: Let everything you do All: Be done in love One: Blessed are the poor All: For theirs is the kingdom of God One: Blessed are they who mourn now All: For they will be comforted One: Blessed are the meek All: For they will inherit the earth One: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice All: For they will be satisfied One: Blessed are the merciful All: For they will be shown mercy One: Blessed are the pure in heart All: For they will see God One: Blessed are the peacemakers All: For they will be called the daughters and sons of God One: Blessed are they who are persecuted because of righteousness All: For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

---------------------- One: Deliver us, O God All: Guide our feet in the ways of your peace. One: In humility, we ask All: Hear our prayer. Grant us peace. One: In humility, we ask All: Hear our prayer. Grant us peace. One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world All: Have mercy on us One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world All: Free us from the bondage of sin and death One: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world All: Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.

---------------------- One: For the victims of war All: Have mercy One: Women, men and children All: Have mercy One: The maimed and the crippled All: Have mercy One: The abandoned and the homeless All: Have mercy One: The imprisoned and the tortured All: Have mercy One: The widowed and the orphaned All: Have mercy One: The bleeding and the dying All: Have mercy One: The weary and the desperate All: Have mercy One: The lost and the forsaken All: Have mercy One: For those fleeing in terror All: Have mercy

---------------------- One: For our scorched and blackened earth All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: For the scandal of billions wasted in war All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: For our leaders who wage war in our name All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: For our Caesars and our Herods All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: For our generals and tacticians All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: For the men and women in battle All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: For the men and women training for war All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: For the scientists and researchers All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: For the arms dealers and the merchants of death All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: For our taxes that fund the evil of war All: Forgive us for we know not what we do One: Deliver us, O God All: Guide our feet into the ways of peace One: In humility, we ask All: Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.

---------------------- One: From the arrogance of power All: Deliver us One: From the poverty of violence All: Deliver us One: From the tyranny of greed All: Deliver us One: From the ugliness of racism All: Deliver us One: From the politics of hypocrisy All: Deliver us One: From the hysteria of nationalism All: Deliver us One: From the cancer of hatred All: Deliver us One: From the seduction of wealth All: Deliver us One: From the addiction of control All: Deliver us One: From the avarice of imperialism All: Deliver us One: From the idolatry of national security All: Deliver us One: From the despair of fatalism All: Deliver us One: From the violence of apathy All: Deliver us One: From the filth of war All: Deliver us One: From the profanity of war All: Deliver us One: From the necessity of war All: Deliver us One: From the madness of war All: Deliver us One: From the blasphemy of war All: Deliver us One: From the brutality of war All: Deliver us One: From the demonic waste of war and of preparation for war All: Deliver us One: Deliver us, O God All: Guide our feet into the ways of peace One: In humility, we ask All: Hear our prayer. Grant us peace.

---------------------- One: Obedience to God comes before obedience to human authority All: Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's One: Let your will be done, not mine All: With the help of God's grace One: Let us resist and confront evil everywhere we find it All: With the help of God's grace One: With the waging of war All: We will not comply One: With all preparation and training for war All: We will not comply One: With the forces of fear All: We will not comply One: With the legalization of murder All: We will not comply One: With the legalization of genocide All: We will not comply One: With laws that betray human life All: We will not comply One: With the bombing of civilians All: We will not comply One: With the bombing of cities All: We will not comply One: With the violating of our earth All: We will not comply One: With the destruction of peoples All: We will not comply One: With the raping of women All: We will not comply One: With governments that are blind to the sanctity of life All: We will not comply One: With economic structures that impoverish and dehumanize All: We will not comply One: With the manipulation and control of public information All: We will not comply One: With economics that manufacture instruments of death All: We will not comply One: With economics that practice the use of instruments of death All: We will not comply One: With the perpetuation of violence All: We will not comply One: With structures that divide rich from poor All: We will not comply One: With the hypocrisy of political maneuvering All: We will not comply

---------------------- One: With the help of God's grace All: We will struggle for justice One: With the compassion of Christ All: We will stand for what is true One: With God's abiding kindness All: We will love even our enemies One: With the love of Christ All: We will resist all evil One: With God's unending faithfulness All: We will work to build the beloved community One: With Christ's passionate love All: We will carry the cross One: With God's overwhelming goodness All: We will walk as pilgrims of peace One: With Christ's fervent conviction All: We will labour for truth One: With God's infinite mercy All: We will live in solidarity with all people One: In the end there are three things that last All: Faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love One: Let us abide in God's love All: Thanks be to God.

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